Collisions up 33% on I-5 near construction zone in Tacoma

KIRO 7 ^ | July 21, 2021 | Kevin Ko

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

TACOMA, Wash. — State troopers are responding to an increased number of traffic collisions near an Interstate 5 construction zone in Tacoma.

“We’re looking at a little more than two collisions that happen on this stretch per day,” Trooper Robert Royer with the Washington State Patrol said.

The data provided by the agency, which covers the distance between milepost 132 (near state Route 16 exit) to milepost 136 (near the Port of Tacoma Road exit), shows traffic collisions are up 33% since 2019. With more than 400 collisions already reported this year (so far), troopers are responding to at least two crashes a day on that specific stretch of the interstate.

Royer said the primary reason behind most of the collisions is distracted driving.

“When I drive through this area on a daily basis, I see people on their phones. I see people putting on makeup, eating behind the wheel because they just get bored when they’re stuck in traffic. And those are the reasons why we have so many collisions,” Royer said.

Royer also attributed the rise in collisions to poor driving habits picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s because people were home (and not driving) or because they were driving frequently on emptier streets, the mass influx of drivers on roadways has caused problems for troopers statewide.

[Daffynition]

OTOH, you have a ways to go to compete with the Big Dig in Boston. But you still have time to go billions in overruns to beat the epic fail.

The $15 billion project is a road paved with failures, successes, and what-ifs.

"It didn't just cost a lot of money. The copy-and-paste phrase on reporters' computers was that it was "plagued by cost overruns," ballooning from $2.6 billion to nearly $15 billion ($24 billion, counting interest on the debt). It didn't simply take more time than expected; it was eight years behind schedule by the time it was done. And it didn't just have flaws. There seemed to be mistakes at every turn, making the price tag even more laughable, from design blueprints that didn't line up properly, to the faulty mixing of concrete, to, most tragically, a ceiling collapse that killed a car passenger in one of the new tunnels."

[Inspectorette]

I no longer drive up from Oregon to visit my daughter in Anacortes. The Tacoma construction area is actually worse to drive through than is Seattle. I now take Amtrak, and relax all the way to Mt. Vernon.