The Trucker News Staff

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) issued 329 traffic citations and placed 81 drivers and 58 commercial motor vehicles (CMV) out of service during a safety crackdown on Oct. 5-7. Officers with the DPS’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division monitored CMV traffic for aggressive driving, speeding, following too closely, failing to wear safety belts, distracted driving and driving under the influence, according to a news release. “These efforts help ensure CMV drivers follow federal and state regulations, including hours of service compliance, commercial driver’s license compliance, medical certification and commercial motor vehicle credentialing,” the news release stated.

JOLIET, Ill. — Illinois has announced a six-year, $1.2 billion plan to rebuild Interstate 80 in Will County. According to a news release from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office, the project will replace more than 50-year-old infrastructure and create thousands of construction and permanent jobs. “This rebuild will transform 16 miles of I-80, redesign auxiliary lanes and interchanges to reduce congestion, and rehabilitate over 30 bridges along the roadway,” Pritzker said in the news release. “These overdue improvements will not only make it safer for commercial drivers, but for the thousands of families who rely on I-80 to commute to work, drive their kids to school, and move safely through their daily lives.” As one of the country’s three coast-to-coast interstates, I-80 through Joliet and Will County carries approximately 80,000 vehicles a day, about 25% of which are trucks, according to the governor’s office. “Due to the outdated design and capacity restraints, congestion as well as frequent merging and weaving are common,” the governor’s news release stated. “To shorten the construction timeline, several project components and land acquisition efforts will be done concurrently to deliver a cornerstone project of Rebuild Illinois more quickly, with less impact to the public.” Starting next year, the section from Ridge Road to the DuPage River will be under construction as land acquisition progresses and final engineering is completed on the replacement of the Des Plaines River bridges. Improvements will begin from Ridge Road to U.S. 30 in 2023, leaving construction of the Des Plaines River bridges and Center Street and U.S. 52/Illinois 53 (Chicago Street) interchanges in 2026 and 2027. Advance work on I-80 started this summer with a $41.7 million project to replace the eastbound bridges over Hickory Creek, Richards Street, Rowell Avenue/Canadian National Railroad, and westbound over Richards Street, in Joliet, Rockdale and New Lenox, while widening eastbound I-80 from Gardner Street to Rowell Avenue. Once the eastbound improvements are completed next year, similar improvements will begin in the westbound direction. When it wraps up in 2027, the overall I-80 project will have redesigned and rebuilt 16 miles from Ridge Road, in Minooka, to U.S. 30, in Joliet and New Lenox, while adding or extending auxiliary lanes to improve safety and reduce congestion. Interchanges will have been rebuilt or improved at Interstate 55, Illinois 7, Center Street, Chicago Street, Richards Street and Briggs Street, with a new flyover ramp linking southbound I-55 to westbound I-80 to improve traffic flow and safety. More than 30 bridges will have been rehabilitated or replaced. “With demand for freight projected to double in northeastern Illinois the next 20 years, Will County’s role as a transportation hub and the country’s largest inland port is critical,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “We know I-80 drives commerce in this vitally important part of the state. At the governor’s direction, we are expediting these improvements as quickly as we can.” Bicycle and pedestrian connections will be provided through interchanges and at overhead crossings as well as along Chicago Street between Doris and Fifth avenues. The larger I-80 improvements will include workers from the Highway Construction Careers Training Program, an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) initiative, in partnership with South Suburban Community College, in South Holland, and Dawson Technical Institute of Kennedy King College, in Chicago, to provide minority and female students with on-the-job experience toward a career in the construction trades. A $47 million reconstruction of the U.S. 30 interchange, which includes adding a third I-80 lane in each direction west from Interstate 355, concludes this fall. Further west, IDOT is investing $32 million to leverage a combined $200 million public-private effort for the Houbolt Road interchange and extension to the CenterPoint Properties intermodal facilities. Through year two of Rebuild Illinois, IDOT has made approximately $5.2 billion in improvements to more than 3,000 miles of highway and nearly 300 bridges, as well as almost 450 additional safety improvements. “Improving I-80 is a critical step in ensuring that our infrastructure is prepared to meet the growing transportation demands throughout the region,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “Will County is the largest inland port in North America, serving as a key connection between the Chicagoland region and the rest of the country. I’m grateful for the efforts of Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly in prioritizing this important project.” Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is investing $33.2 billion into the state’s aging transportation system, creating jobs, and promoting economic growth. Rebuild Illinois is not only the largest capital program in state history, but also the first one that touches all modes of Illinois transportation: roads and bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — A congested stretch of Interstate 12 in southern Louisiana is being widened between state highways 51 and 29. According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation, an average of 70,000 drivers use that stretch of I-12 daily; however, estimates show that number could grow by 40,000 by 2036. “The widening of I-12 will make a dramatic and positive difference in travel for St. Tammany residents,” said Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish President. “We are looking forward to the start and will keep all citizens informed.” Lane shifts are slated to begin around Thanksgiving in parts of the construction area as workers finish paving one section and move on to another. To monitor road conditions and construction in Louisiana, click here to visit 511la.org.  

AUBURNDALE, Fla. — A motorcyclist was killed Monday night along Interstate 4 in Florida after a two-part collision involving a state trooper’s vehicle and an 18-wheeler. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), just before the accident, the trooper had been assisting a road construction crew when he entered the inside lane of I-4 into the motorcyclist’s path. The 52-year-old man, who was identified only as being from Lakeland, Florida, was ejected from his bike and run over by a semi-truck, authorities said. Names of those involved in the accident were not immediately provided by the FHP. The incident remains under investigation.

LOVE COUNTY, Okla. — Five passengers were injured on Oct. 15 when an Amtrak train struck an 18-wheeler hauling cars in Oklahoma. According to a Facebook post by the Love County Fire Department, the semi became high-centered on the tracks just before the northbound train struck the trailer, sending cars flying into the air and strewing them along the tracks. The truck’s cab was not severely damaged, and the driver, who wasn’t named, was uninjured. The accident happened on Addington Road at Highway 77. “Amtrak officials requested school buses to transport passengers to hotels in the area when it appeared the train couldn’t be moved,” the fire department’s post stated. “Some passengers were able to call local family and friends and be picked up at the scene, others were transported to nearby destinations by small charter vehicles from Amtrak, and eventually it was decided the damaged locomotive could be uncoupled and the remaining passengers could be transported back to Ft Worth with the locomotive at the rear of the train.” Responders remained on scene for more than five hours assisting passengers and railroad staff.

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. — Winter weather and icy road conditions are being blamed for an accident that caused an 18-wheeler loaded with Coors beer to topple over Friday on Interstate 70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado. According to a Facebook post from Summit Fire and EMS, the wreck happened when the semi lost its brakes, clipped and spun a Jeep, then careened down the Silverthorne exit and crashed over the median. “All hands are offloading the 12-packs of Coors beer from the trailer before it is righted and towed,” the Facebook post stated. “They might need some for themselves after their shift, as they have been hopping since yesterday morning with major crashes on what one longtime veteran engineer termed some of the iciest roads in his career.” No serious injuries were reported.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — A new turnpike section opened Friday in Pennsylvania, helping to ease congestion on major routes, such as Interstate 79. Known as the Southern Beltway, or PA Turnpike 576, the 13-mile section between U.S. Route 22 and I-79 connects to the existing, six-mile beltway section called the Findlay Connector, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The new Southern Beltway leads to I-79 at the Allegheny-Washington County line. “It is not often, in the world of transportation, that we are able to construct brand-new highways,” PA Turnpike Chair Yassmin Gramian said. “At this event, we commemorate this section’s completion. With (this) opening, it will ease congestion and create economic opportunities in Findlay, Robinson, Mount Pleasant, Cecil and North and South Fayette townships. Investment in transportation has historically paid for itself in greater prosperity and thriving communities.” The Southern Beltway has been in development since the State Legislature passed Act 61 of 1985 and Act 26 of 1991, elevating the priority of building the Southern Beltway and Mon/Fayette Expressway to improve highway access and mobility in the region. With the passage of Act 89 in 2013, a new funding stream was created to accelerate the progress of these projects. “Without a doubt, the Southern Beltway will serve as an economic catalyst for the Greater Pittsburgh region,” Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said. “It will provide better access to sites being developed along the Energy Commerce & Innovation Corridor (ECIC) which is 52 miles of largely untapped private, commercial and industrial lands near the Pittsburgh International Airport. This, in turn, will support new employment in this area.” Officials said the $800 million project will help ease congestion on arteries like the Parkway West, I-79 and State Route 50. Additionally, it will provide emergency-response vehicles, businesses and the public with a safer alternative to rural, two-lane roads. There will be three toll points on the Southern Beltway, which is an open-road tolling system that utilizes overhead toll gantries to charge customers, the news release stated. Turnpike customers will be charged via their E-ZPass accounts or the PA Toll By Plate program, which takes a picture of the license plate and sends an invoice to the registered owner of the vehicle.

BENTON COUNTY, Ark. — Expect traffic delays in parts of northwest Arkansas next week as crews begin blasting rocks for a new interchange, officials with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (ARDOT) said. The project to build the new Interstate 49 (Bella Vista Bypass) interchange with Highway 71 in Bentonville will require lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 18, an ARDOT news release stated. During the blasting shots, crews will temporarily stop traffic for up to 15 minutes as a safety precaution in the area of the interchange on Interstate 49, Highway 71 and Walton Boulevard. “Watch for warning signs and safety personnel during the work,” the ARDOT news release stated. “The public is advised to be cautious when traveling in the work zone and watch for slower traffic speeds.” This project is part of ARDOT’s Connecting Arkansas Program and includes constructing approximately 2.8 miles of roadway with bridge structures on Interstate 49, including a new Bella Vista Bypass interchange with U.S. Highway 71 in Bentonville, according to the news release. More information on this $66.6 million project is available at ConnectingArkansasProgram.com.

PHARR, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently confiscated more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine from an 18-wheeler whose driver was trying to cross into the United States from Mexico. CBP said in a news release that the alleged meth, valued at more than $16,000, was found during an Oct. 9 inspection at the Pharr International Bridge Cargo Facility. “This massive load of methamphetamine will not reach our city streets thanks to our CBP officers and their great teamwork and utilization of all available tools and resources,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry, said. The news release said that officers became suspicious of the trailer after an imaging and canine sweep. During a physical search, 468 packages of alleged methamphetamine, weighing 1,179.47 pounds, were found concealed within the trailer. No information about the driver was given. The case is still under investigation.