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‘Death trap’ along I-30 construction worries motorists

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Little Rock, Arkansas – Saline County drivers claim that the construction on Interstate 30 is a hazard to commuter safety.

“It’s basically a death trap,” Steve Ayers, a resident of Benton, said about the construction along the 114 exit, “We need to widen it. We need to get it finished.”

Ayers said that his car was struck by a truck in January while he was turning from 114’s westbound lanes onto I-30.

“The truck was coming, and I turned around, got into another lane on the straightaway to get out of his way,” Ayers said. “And he merged over and sideswiped my truck.”

Ayers stated that the event “would have never happened” if there had been a second lane or a shoulder on I-30.

According to Patrick Newman, manager of Tire Town of Benton, customers have arrived at his store after traveling down I-30 with broken tires and other problems.

“Since January, there’s been a lot of bent or cracked rims hitting potholes,” Newman said. “It’s been very problematic for people who have been through the area.”

The narrowness of the roadways, according to Newman, is one of the main problems for drivers.

“[You’ve got] things falling out of trucks and there’s no place for people to try to swerve it,” Newman said. “We just have to be cautious for whatever is on the road [and] give yourself plenty of space between the vehicles in case you see something that you might have to try to swerve to miss.”

Anyone who damages their car while driving through a work zone should contact the Arkansas Claims Commission, according to ARDOT’s Dave Parker.

Parker cited the project’s complexity as a reason why the most recent predicted completion date is late November 2024.

“I understand that this is taking longer than a lot of people anticipated, we are trying to work through that now,” Parker said. “We just ask for your patience and when you’re in that area, just take it easy and slow down.”

Parker said ARDOT would not suffer additional fees for the project’s delay.

Parker said. “There was no change in the person who started this to the contracting company is the same group in essence, Parker said. “We still have work to be done.”

 

 

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