Story Published: Nov 30, 2007 at 7:11 PM PDT
Though the accidents have not all been caused by the work on I-5 some drivers say that area can be a bit tricky to navigate.
We drive cars every day through that area, but what about semi trucks? Today we decided to see what it's like for a trucker to maneuver through that area.
Every Friday Don Pope gasses his semi-truck and hits the road with his loyal dog Sassy.
"Come on get back in," Don says to Sassy.
They're headed down I-5 through the construction at the Goshen interchange. Where earlier this week, a semi flipped over and shut the freeway down for hours.
"Right through Eugene-Springfield, this is the worst construction they've got on I-5," says Pope as he drives. We hitched a ride with Pope to see through his eyes, what it's like to drive through the construction zone.
"We have to watch every car. Were driving for them too because they aren't paying any attention," says Pope. He also say's it's not just cars, but other trucks too. "He shouldn't be in the lane like that," Pope says as he watches another truck.
From the cabin, you can see just about everything, including the lanes which can seem narrow when your trying to navigate an 80 foot long by 8 foot wide truck.
The area is a pinch point, but O-DOT's Joe Harwood say's the lanes aren't actually getting smaller. "The lanes don't get narrower, the shoulder gets narrower. So there's a perception that the lanes are narrower, but they're still 12 foot lanes like they always were there's just not a 3-6 foot shoulder," says Harwood.
He also says the construction zone doesn't usually cause the accidents drivers do. "When you're in a tight s curve you need to slow down and take it easy," Harwood says.
Though drivers still whiz by Pope's rig he just hopes the work is done soon. "I guess, you know, they're building the highway better. But it sure does make it dangerous on us," says Pope.
There have been 12 accidents in that area since June, the bridge replacement project started in May.