HANCOCK COUNTY — To say construction along Interstate 70 through the county has caused a nightmare for travelers and law enforcement, may be the understatement of the month.
Officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation knew drivers would be inconvenienced as they made changes along I-70 this past summer and into the fall, however the work has created a dangerous stretch of road for travelers.
Reports from the county’s 911 center state from June 2, through Sept. 29, on I-70 between mile markers 108 and 113 — the last mile marker in the county — there have been a total of 159 incidents, said Greg Duda, public information officer.
Duda noted the breakdown in incidents include, disabled vehicles — 67; hit and run crashes — 6; vehicles in a ditch — 6; field fires — 1; hazmat response — 1; accidents no injuries — 58; accidents with injuries — 8; spill and/or leak — 2; traffic hazard in roadway — 5 and vehicle fires — 3.
September was a particularly hazardous month.
Capt. Chuck McMichael, public information officer for the Greenfield Police Department said, including an accident early Tuesday morning, Sept. 28, they had responded to 29 crashes on I-70. That tally didn’t include an accident later in the day when a semi ended up in a ditch near mile marker 111 Westbound.
Most, but not all of the crashes have been in the construction zone areas, McMichael said. Twenty of them have been coded as property damage accidents, five have been identified as personal injury and the rest as unknown.
The accidents have created a nightmare for local drivers and first responders in Greenfield because the crashes cause local travelers and officials to work with the onslaught of traffic being diverted from I-70.
“We mostly have the all of the traffic that goes around the crashes to deal with — almost worse than working the crashes,” McMichael said.
Officials with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department noted their accident records for September are slightly lower at 24 through Tuesday, Sept. 28. However, Capt. Robert Harris, public information officer said they know the actual total number of accidents on I-70 near the area is higher. Officials from the Indiana State Police and Henry County have taken over some of the incidents and recorded the information, Harris said.
Either way, local law enforcement know crash numbers along I-70 are too high. As for the cause, Harris said almost every crash points to drivers who are simply not paying attention.
“Either they are going too fast, following too close, or distracted while driving,” he said.
And almost all of the crashes have involved tractor-trailers who have caused the crashes, Harris said.
There are currently several work areas under construction along I-70 causing delays and affecting travel through the county.
According to INDOT I-70 eastbound mapping, between 600E and 825E, 4 miles east of Greenfield, the right lane is closed until Nov. 30; between Kennard Road and 600E, in Greenfield, I-70 eastbound the left lane is closed until Nov. 30; and between 1050E and S.R. 109, 11 miles east of Greenfield, the exit ramp is closed until Nov. 30.
As for traffic in both directions along I-70, between S.R. 9 and Greensboro Pike, Greenfield, there is construction work until Nov. 30. On Oct. 5, there will be work along I-70 between Cumberland Road and Mitthoeffer Road, Cumberland, with the right lane closed that day. There will also be bridge construction work on that stretch until Nov. 30.
The Daily Reporter reached out to INDOT officials to ask if they’ve done anything to slow traffic down or hurry work along after already going through a summer that produced more than average accidents on I-70.
Mallory Duncan, public information spokesperson for INDOT said over the summer, they did a number of things to try and increase driver awareness including adding signs and videos on social media asking drivers to be careful.
“We have placed additional signage along the interstate to warn drivers,” Duncan said.
That includes signs warning of slowed and/or stopped traffic three miles before construction zone areas.
“We are also using our local law enforcement partners to create awareness by being at the front of the zones with lights on to slow people down,” she said. “With this, we are begging people to slow down.”
Duncan noted there is no way drivers should be missing the warnings that tell of slowed and stopped traffic due to construction.
“There is no excuse for missing the zone since there is plenty of adequate warning,” Duncan said.
Harris concurred with Duncan and said county law enforcement believe INDOT is doing absolutely everything they can to slow people down and make them aware of the construction.
“Drivers just aren’t paying attention,” Harris said.
