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Posted on Sun, Dec. 17, 2006
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/16251443.htm
Another
accident
Well here again, another accident. A miracle that no
one was killed. An 18-wheeler, with seven cars.
Just past the Department of Transportation building coming into Macon
on I-75 south, there is an electric sign crossing the interstate.
Messages are posted. Has the DOT thought about adding one of these,
just past the Pierce Avenue exit?
All people unfamiliar with this area could see this sign, showing
"Sharp Curve Ahead, Slow Down -anything to make people pay more
attention. Lives could be saved until something final is decided for
this area. Is this too simple a solution?
Scottie Lamb
Macon
Correct
signage, change road markings
I have just finished reading the account of the truck
accident and liquid latex spill on I-75 southbound at the 1-16 exit.
Let me try to hazard a guess at what went wrong there. Motorists (and
truck drivers) heading south on I-75 get an eyeful of a large overhead
sign just before entering a left curve that goes over the railroad
bridge. Curiously, this DOT sign leads them to believe that when they
get to the next exit, two I-75 southbound lanes continue straight and
persons wishing to exit onto I-16 must make a left turn to access the
westbound ramp.
Actually, when you approach the area in question, the observant driver
will realize that the road configuration does not match what they saw
on the sign less than a minute earlier. The actual road layout has the
two I-75 lanes making a hard right curve (back over the train tracks)
while the I-16 exit has a slowly expanding lane on the left side. The
I-16 exit is the roadway that physically continues straight.
I cannot tell you how many times I have headed south on I-75 and exited
onto I-16 while drivers in the left lane of I-75 continue past the exit
only to discover there is no left turn to exit onto I-16. At that
point, they invariably choose to cross the solid white lines, cross
through the gore at 60 miles per hour, and force a merge into the
established flow of traffic already on the exit ramp. It is not at all
unusual to see drivers cross all the way from the right lane of I-75
and attempt this feat of derring-do and potential human sacrifice.
Correcting the signage and changing the road markings to allow more
time for an exit and a merge onto the I-16 ramp may alleviate some of
these problems - but not all of them. It is my opinion that a map
(after all, a sign depicting a roadway layout is just a map) should
look like the road it represents.
John F. Ricketson III is a resident of Monroe County.
Posted on Wed, Dec. 13, 2006
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/breaking_news/16231118.htm
Traffic moving again after seven-car wreck on I-75 in
Macon
By Tim Sturrock
TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITER
See
8-Pictures from Macon Telegraph Online
An accident blocked all lanes of Interstate 75 this
afternoon and spilled liquid latex on northbound lanes.
The wreck involved a tractor trailer and six cars and
happened at about 1:40 p.m. north of the Pierce Avenue exit, according
to the Georgia Department of Transportation's Web site.
All lanes were reopened after 7 p.m., according to the
Macon Police Department's radio room.
The tractor trailer wrecked on I-75 south and flipped
over the guard rail on to northbound lanes. GDOT workers are working to
contain the liquid that spilled from the truck onto northbound lanes.
At least four vehicles wrecked on southbound lanes near
the tractor trailer, and workers are towing those vehicles and removing
the tractor trailer.
There are no serious injuries, Macon Police Sgt. Melanie
Hofmann said.
Traffic in both directions was blocked before 2 p.m.,
according to law enforcement officials./p>
Traffic from I-75 south was diverted onto Pierce Avenue.
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