Drivers question the safety of Route Z and I-70 overpass in Boone County
After ABC 17 reported a deadly motorcycle crash Wednesday afternoon, more than one hundred viewers reached out to share their concerns on Facebook.
Several people questioned the safety of the overpass at Route Z and I-70 and said tall guard rails and blind spots make the overpass dangerous.
One viewer said, “Between the new guard rails and the rise of the road, it is nearly impossible to see traffic coming until it is too late.”
Last year, MODOT spent $2 million to replace or improve parts of the bridge for the anticipated traffic with the addition of Battle High School. That construction wrapped up in July 2013.
ABC 17’s Angel Mendez wanted to know more and drove the same route as the driver in Wednesday’s crash.
Shannon Dunn, a frequent driver on the overpass said, “You can’t hardly ever see anybody, and then when you do, they’re flying over the hill and you can’t react hardly.”
State Highway Patrol returned to the scene to reconstruct Wednesday’s crash. They said nothing seemed abnormal and everything appeared standard.
Travis Koestner, the assistant district engineer with MODOT, said MODOT will be working closely with the highway patrol to determine the safety of the bridge.
“If we decide there’s something we can do, we’ll do it,” Koestner said. “We’ll determine if there are some things we can do within our ability to try and make it as good as possible for the public traveling through there.”
ABC 17 reached out to the State Highway Patrol and the Boone County Fire Protection District for the number of accidents at that intersection. According to a Boone County Fire official, there have not been any other accidents in the last year on the overpass.
