WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Car crashes have dramatically increased on a portion of I-95 in Delaware since the beginning of a construction project near Wilmington.
WPVI-TV reported last week that the project is called Restore the Corridor Wilmington. It is expected to last about two years and includes repairs to bridges, pavement work and ramp upgrades.
Work crews say they have noticed an increase in accidents since the project’s February start, with more than 40 incidents. C.R. McLeod, a spokesman for the Delaware Department of Transportation, said that “more than half (of the crashes) have been attributed to following too closely and inattentive driving.”
The problem area is in the northbound lanes approaching the city of Wilmington.
“Really, it’s just getting people to drive safer through this corridor,” McLeod said.
He added: “This is not a corridor where we have not seen a lot of crashes previously and we are obviously wanting to see fewer crashes but again that is to be expected when we see a radical change in the traffic pattern.”
Speed and people simply not paying attention are the main factors for the rise in accidents.
“We have adjusted signage, we are adding some additional striping on the road surface, also designating the exit lane for folks as they are traveling through the corridor we go from two lanes to one lane,” McLeod said.
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