MAKE or BRAKE
LOREN BENOIT/Press This week is National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week and the Idaho Transportation Department would like to remind drivers to be mindful of construction workers and slow down in work zones. Here, motorists head westbound on Interstate 90 near the Huetter rest stop. The current I-90 project between Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene consists of repairing the bridges over Huetter and Atlas roads.
By BRIAN WALKER
Staff Writer
HUETTER — Mike Margason couldn't believe his eyes as he was working on Interstate 90.
Just when the Idaho Transportation Department employee thought his crew was finishing up a patching job two years ago, a truck struck a co-worker as it zipped by.
"He got clipped by the mirror of a truck," Margason said. "I'm almost positive the driver had to know he hit him, but the driver kept going."
The collision bruised the ITD employee's shoulder, but he escaped serious injuries.
"It could've easily been a lot worse," Margason said.
As road construction season ramps up in Kootenai County, ITD reminds drivers to use caution in work zones for their own safety and for the safety of construction workers.
There were 53 work zone crashes on Kootenai County roads and highways in 2017. Preliminary numbers for 2018 indicate the same number, according to Idaho State Police.
Four people died in those 2017 crashes.
"We want to get home safely to our families and we want you (as motorists) to get home safely," said ITD spokeswoman Megan Sausser on Tuesday. Sausser was speaking during a media event at the I-90 construction site between Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene for National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week.
ITD employee Jed Henderson said safety is the top priority for road crews. They have spotters, reflectors, cones and signage, but loud noise from traffic along with focusing on the work at hand can still lead to dangerous situations.
Henderson said he's seen drivers eating cereal, reading a newspaper, putting on makeup and turning around and yelling at their kids in the back seat while driving through work zones.
Sausser said crashes in work zones create even more congestion and can cause secondary crashes.
Margason has simple advice for drivers: Look on the bright side of the delays.
"Just give us a break," he said with a smile. "The end result is that you'll get great road repair. Mother Nature beat up on us in February, so we've got a lot to fix."
Sausser said that even if drivers get used to a work zone's route and speeds, they should stay alert due to possible changes.
"Work zones may not be the same as they were the day before," she said. "Pay attention every time through."
Margason said tow truck drivers and police also face similarly dangerous situations when tending to business along the highways.
Sausser said input from motorists on work zones and how safety can be improved is important. They are urged to call ITD at 208-772-1200 regarding state and federal highways, or comment on specific projects at www.itdprojects.org.
The current I-90 project between Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene consists of repairing the bridges over Huetter and Atlas roads. It’s expected to wrap up before the Fourth of July.
After that project is completed, I-90 from the state line to Northwest Boulevard in Coeur d'Alene will be resurfaced from July through September.
Other projects this year will include rebuilding the railroad bridge at Highway 53 and Garwood Road, U.S. 95 improvements in Coeur d'Alene and Hayden, and repairing the Blue Creek Bay bridge on I-90 east of Coeur d'Alene.