A warning tonight for drivers along I-5 in Tacoma. The combination of construction and inattentive driving is creating the perfect conditions for collisions and lots of them.
And Washington State troopers say the accidents are occuring cross a 3.4-mile stretch, no matter the time of day, no matter the weather.
Scroll down to continue reading
More news from KIRO 7
- Man seriously injured by collapsed building in Centralia
- Mother says 'code word' prevented daughter's kidnapping
- Jurors convict dad in under an hour in baby's diaper rash death
- Video shows runaway bus crashing on downtown Seattle street
- Do you have an investigative story tip? Send us an email at investigate@kiro7.com
It is impossible to miss the construction drivers have had to contend with on I-5 for two long decades. It has been going on so long, some drivers say this is normal.
"Just a lot of congestion in the morning time," said Mike Renard, a realtor from Puyallup. "I haven't really noticed much beyond the normal congestion. It's all we've known for 20 years."
"The traffic's just horrible," agreed Henry Jones, Tacoma. "I mean, it's just too much. It seems like the job is going so slow. You've got to hurry it up."
But troopers say speed, on the part of drivers, is a reason they are seeing accidents galore, involving semis as well as those driving smaller vehicles.
"It takes literally a second," says Trooper Briana Sacks. "You look over at your passenger and you can cause a collision right there because a car in front of you is going to stop for traffic ahead of them."
Trooper Sacks says drivers are talking or texting on their cell phones, too, which is illegal. The driver of this vehicle lost control while texting last month.
"And he hit a construction worker that was setting cones," she said.
She advises drivers to slow down and keep their distance, advice echoed by Tacoma driver Kevin Brown.
"Just stay focused on the road," he suggests. "And phones down. Phones down. I think that's one of the biggest things. Also being attentive driving. And looking out for everybody."
Drivers say a part of the problem is that the road configuration keeps changing, too, as the work nears completion, creating confusion.
But troopers say it is still on drivers to do their part. Focusing completely on driving is one way to do that and prevent collisions.
Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/03-07-2024/t_a04eea43993e4d4a91177d329640b460_name_Tran_6p_Everett_Woman_homicide_LL_pkg_frame_22938.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/DV3D5PBQIZFEPANBGDDAZHIA5I.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/BEJ4ANVJ35FCZPPNOAUSAMDRF4.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/SJPHEIUFCFBN5CV66FIPLEJCZY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/NYVRWY47SFB65FDAQYA23H7SPQ.jpeg)