Posted on 09/17/2018 10:50:24 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
There have been three crashes in about one month on the newly opened Interstate 11, resulting in four deaths and causing concern with transportation officials.
Representing the first new portion of highway added in the United States in 25 years, I-11 is a 15-mile stretch linking motorists between the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge near the Hoover Dam and Henderson, bypassing Boulder City.
The celebration of the newly opened road on Aug. 9 was short-lived.
On Aug. 14, a two-vehicle crash left two men dead. On Aug. 28, a two-vehicle crash left two dead and three injured. On Sept. 6, a four-vehicle crash, including two semi-trucks, resulted in three injuries.
Nevada Department of Transportation officials insist the road is safe but is being closely watched after the wrecks.
“This is a federally designated interstate with very specific design criteria for materials, construction, access and signage, among other things,” said Tony Illia, an NDOT spokesperson. “However, the department will continue monitoring live traffic over the new interstate, making future operational adjustments as necessary, ensuring motorists remain safe and connected.”
Although the new road can cause motorists some confusion as they acclimate to the new surroundings, Illia said the crashes were caused by actions taken by the drivers, and not the road itself.
(Excerpt) Read more at lasvegassun.com ...
Sounds dangerous. And when they fix the road or signage will that mean they accept responsibility for the deaths?
Are tbe lanes full 12-foot width lanes?
I have no personal experience with the stretch of road in question. But I can tell you here in Contra Costa County, Northern California, there are a series of tunnels that go through the hills that separate Berkeley and Oakland from Contra Costa County. Highway 24 and there are 3 tunnels that let out onto estraight road and the road after the tunnels is straight and in good condition and not a day goes by when there is not a serious accident on the highway leading out of those tunnels. And it’s the damndest thing, it’s just a straight road, you stay in your lane you have no issues. But every single day there is a traffic accident in that area. I have no explanation.... except that there are a lot of people driving these days who have no business whatsoever driving a car. They are either texting when they come out of that tunnel and get tweaked by the change in lighting, or they are simply idiots. Or both.
I drove that stretch a few weeks ago. I saw nothing unusual or dangerous about it.
Just last week I drive that new road twice to Hoover dam and the new bridge. A large portion of the new road wasn’t on my gps (updated within four months) and the signage was unclear to a tourist like me. We all four in the car were confused.
I’ll have to pay more attention next time I drive it. Seemed okay to me, although we weren’t too sure how it was supposed to rejoin the main road. I really like being able to bypass Boulder City.
If you’re talking about the Caldecott tunnels, they actually added a fourth bore a few years ago, so the excuse of four lanes funneling down to two, depending on time of day, cannot be used anymore.
The Caldecott Tunnel (4 bores) has a drop (I understand) of 100 feet in elevation between the east and west portals. Going eastbound you emerge into a basically straight road. Going westbound you emerge into a series of banked curves and don't get back to the straightaway until you pass the Telegraph Avenue exit. A driver MUST pay attention on what is essentially a mountain road. There are always those jokers who are fixated on that little screen and that causes a world of problems for everyone else.
Has there been an increase of Illegals in the area? They are all lousy drivers...even when sober.
What?
Not true of US routes, and not even true of US Interstates. I99 is < 25 years old.
Highways don’t cause wrecks, people cause wrecks.
I think it’s a good idea to paint on the road markers of some sort at the places of wrecks that cause fatalities and severe injuries so that the public will be aware of dangerous sections of roadway.
Put a traffic light in the middle of your nearest limited-access interstate highway tonight, and see how that works out for your neighbors tomorrow!
P.S. -- I'm a civil engineer by trade, and roadway design is one of my job functions. ;-)
I’ve heard that people tend to drive more carelessly on good roads.
What?
Not true of US routes, and not even true of US Interstates. I99 is < 25 years old."
Nevada DOT screwed up on a plaque at the over look on I-11 the has a view of Lake Mead. Since then the Las Vegas media have been repeating this over and over again without any investigations if it is true.
Interstates 39, 49, 88 (Illinois), 97, 68, 73, 99, 86, 22, 2, 41, 87 (North Carolina), and 14 have all been added in the past 25 years
Back in the late '50's/early '60's, a drive across Iowa in any direction would subject a person to small, diamond-shaped signs placed by a Des Moines insurance company, all of which featured a big red "X" - which "marked the spot" -and the word "THINK!" These signs were placed where a fatality had occurred due to an auto accident. They were not exactly a skull and crossbones, but the general effect wasn't greatly different.
All this was a bit of creepy to a (then) very young Mr. niteowl77, but what really bothered me was when we would come on a place that had two or more of these signs. I still dimly remember a veritable thicket of them at one particular "T" intersection in western Iowa (on or near Hwy 3, IIRC). As a warning to keep alert, they sure worked wonders on me.
Mr. niteowl77
While laid up after back surgery, I watched a few dash-cam videos on YouTube, It made me a more aware and careful driver but the effect was temporary. Now I make sure I watch a few every month.
Driver fatigue is also a problem, and it wasn't until the last 20 years or so that driver fatigue in specific locations was considered as a possible cause of crashes. There was a fascinating story in Canada back in the late 1990s about a cluster of crashes in one location along Highway 401 between Montreal and Toronto. There were a bunch of crashes along one section about halfway between the two cities involving cars wandering out of their travel lanes or swerving off the road. They looked at all the usual probably causes: poor roadway geometry, distractions, animal crossings, etc. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then they started looking at some of these crashes more closely and realized that driver fatigue was the most likely cause. The crashes occurred roughly around the midpoint between the two cities, at a time when a traveler between the two cities would be at around the 2.5-hour to 3-hour point on a 5-6 hour trip. They concluded that most of these crashes involved drivers who had either fallen asleep behind the wheel or simply "zoned out" on a dull stretch of road between two major urban areas.
it is them damn Japanese hanging out of the window taking pictures, I betcha.
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