Enforcement boosted in I-80 work zone after truck wrecks

IOWA CITY - Law enforcement will be out in force at the Interstate 80 work zone in Johnson County as transportation officials try to figure out why several large trucks have overturned in the zone since it opened more than a week ago.

One recent semi accident closed down I-80 westbound between the Dubuque Street exit and the Dodge Street/Highway 1 exit at about noon. Westbound traffic was rerouted onto Highway 1 to Highway 30 west in Mount Vernon to Interstate 380 south in Cedar Rapids.

It's a mystery why so many trucks have overturned, according to Carey Lewis, resident construction engineer for the Iowa Department of Transportation's Manchester office. He said the DOT requested additional enforcement of traffic laws in the work zone from the Iowa State Patrol, Johnson County Sheriff and the DOT's Office of Motor Vehicle Enforcement.

Because of a project to widen I-80 from four lanes to six, the traffic pattern shifted last month. Cutovers were opened to move eastbound traffic through the construction zones.

“The unusual thing is that it seems to be in one location,” Lewis said. The site is on a straight stretch of pavement, Lewis explained.

Lewis said that after the first accidents, the DOT added signs warning motorists that there is no shoulder along the stretch. The DOT later added a series of traffic cones along the exterior of the paved portion of the roadway to further indicate vehicles should not stray off the paved portion.

One clear concern is that the unpaved terrain at the edge of the highway slopes away steeply, Lewis said.

Another concern is that the recent wet weather has left the soil at the edge of the pavement soggy and unable to support much weight.

Why the trucks leave the pavement is less clear.

“It may be a problem of driver attention or speeding,” Lewis said. “We're not sure we've got it figured out.”