BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A record number of people are expected to hit Wisconsin roads for the Independence Day holiday. And after a large number of crashes in one Brown County construction zone, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is asking drivers to be extra cautious not only as they travel for the holiday, but all of the time.
On an almost daily basis, drivers on State Highway 172 in Brown County find themselves sitting in traffic — not because of the construction between I-43 and S. Point Road but because of crashes.
“What we’re seeing is an increased amount of distracted driving, leading to an abnormal amount of crashes,” says Traffic Supervisor Randy Asman.
According to the DOT, since the resurfacing project got underway earlier this year, there have been more than 80 crashes, just in the work zone alone.
Nearly 60 of them have been during the day when the work zone wasn’t even active. And in a recent two-week time period, the DOT recorded 16 accidents — all during the day and all caused by distracted drivers.
“Whether it’s construction barrels being on the side of the road, whether it’s things in their vehicles — all sorts of different things are leading to this distraction, which then, in turn, has increased our crashes,” said Asman.
Because 172 is so heavily traveled, in an effort to not inconvenience drivers, the DOT is doing the majority of the work on this project at night.
The DOT uses barrels and signage to not only warn drivers about the construction but to also instruct them on where they can and can’t go.
“They keep moving them once in a while, one side to the next, and it’s one lane,” said Tony Lischka from Freedom. “So, yeah, it can get confusing.”
That’s exactly why, as the 172 project continues, the DOT is asking drivers to go back to the basics, especially when in a construction zone.
“Get rid of that comfort of being able to cruise through the work zone at 65 miles per hour because that’s what they’ve always done,” said Asman. “Well, this is a different environment; we need to adjust.”
The DOT compiles a list of construction, crashes and slow downs online. The department says it is all about highway safety for both the workers and drivers. It promises to do what’s necessary on road projects to get everyone home safely at night.
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