Your Indiana Highway Safety Info Please?

[ATeam]

I am beginning (emphasis beginning) to believe that Indiana highway management and maintenance is declining such that our safety and productivity is threatened; more so than in other states. This suspicion is based on negative experiences Diane and I have had and read about.

The most recent was last night when we were trapped in "Ice Wreaks Havoc" (see news story). The weather conditions were identical in Wisconsin and Illinois as we drove. Indiana's havoc did not happen because of the weather. It happened because the state failed to treat the roads as Wisconsin and Illinois did.

This was clearly seen when we crossed the Illinois/Indiana state line. Immediately after entering Indiana, we saw numerous car pileups, spun-out vehicles and jacknifed trucks that were not seen in the other states. When crossing the border, it was as if someone threw a switch from no-ice to ice, and from no wrecks to wrecks.

In a recent Highway Angel trucker-rescues-motorist story, a truck driver on I-94 near South Bend plucked a motorist out of freezing water and then waited two hours for help to arrive as he kept the motorist warm in his cab. TWO HOURS on I-94!

If you listen closely to the news video here, you will hear a radio instruction to a salt truck saying, "Just do the intersections, lay it down good." Last night, driving through Chicago, and then trying to drive down I-65 to Indianapolis, we saw numerous salt trucks working in Wisconsin and Illinois but only a couple in Indiana. Trucks were jacknifed on the open road because of ice, not just at interesections. Why would they just do the interesections?

Most distrubing was that the trucks we saw were plowing the roads but not salting them. The problem was ice, not the dusting of snow that could be removed with a plow, but the salt trucks were not salting the roads.

Diane and I have other first-hand experiences that lead me to believe that Indiana is cutting back on highway safety more than other states.

This concerns me deeply as many of us drive Indiana roads on a regular basis. To further examine the question, I am asking EO Open Forum members for any stories or observations they have to share regarding changes in Indiana Highway Safety.

The magazine I edit, Expedite NOW, is not an investigative journalism publication. Neither is my blog. But there are other publications and news outlets that are. If I am not alone in my developing opinion about Indiana highways, and if verifiable evidence exists, I will be pleased to package the facts we truck drivers see developing on the ground and bring the story to journalists that may take it up.

Thank you in advance for any information you care to share (including views that I may be developing a wrong opinion).

 

[davekc]

I don't know if Indiana is the trendsetter or not, but I think you will see a little more deterioration in services because so many states are operating in the red. California comes mind.

 

[piper1]

I have noticed several states/provinces are handling initial responses to weather very poorly. Ontario has a problem with conditions much like A-Team was referring to, that is, a light coat of snow after a period where the roads have been relatively warm and dry. It seems there is a severe lag in the time the snow starts to the time there is actually salt put down. To me this type of situation is inexcusable. It was known well in advance that temps were going to cool off abruptly and the wind would swing to a more northerly direction. Around the Great Lakes that means snow. A 1/2 inch of snow on an untreated road quickly turns to glare ice (just look at the roads in the video in A-team's post). It is happening far too often to just be a fluke. I think Dave has it right, state in the red, poor road maintenance will surely follow. Maybe Indiana is just in an advanced state of neglect.

 

[Doggie Daddy]

I don't know if Indiana is the trendsetter or not, but I think you will see a little more deterioration in services because so many states are operating in the red. California comes mind.

You got that right about CA Dave.It used to be if you came through a scalehouse in California and did not have a current inspection sticker on the windshield,it was an automatic trip to the inspection bay.

We have been out there at least 5 times in the past few months with no sticker at all on the windshield and are basically ignored.I'm not complaining,I'm just sayin'.

 

[theoldprof]

A-Team is right on about Indiana's non salting the roads. Unlike California, Indiana has a fiscal surplus. Gov "My Man Mitch" Daniels obviously decided that to maintain that surplus we are going to conserve resources by cutting down on road salting. I noticed it this AM when driving on Ind 36 and Ind 9. Mostly a sheet of ice. Good luck to you guys and gals driving out there this winter.

 

[redytrk]

Remember that the Indiana Toll Road (I80/90) was Sold/leased off to foreign investors. That road should be discussed separately.

The rest of the roads are subject to the whims of the present administration. For as long as I can remember (20 years as an expediter) the tri state has always been one state better than the other, then the reverse, depending on the road budget.

It takes pressure on the politicians to make anything better.

 

[moose]

. That road should be discussed separately.

Why ?
maybe because we where promise that the money will go to other roads maintenance ?



Moose.
somewhere cold and windy.

 

[pelicn]

We must have made it out just in the nick of time! We picked up in Greenville, OH last night and headed across 70 to 57 SOUTH. Ran into some snow, but the road was just wet at the time. Temperature hovering between 33 and 35.

We came out of Ontario into Buffalo Tues night, in Ontario they were spraying the deicing stuff on the road. I'm not sure how long that stuff remains effective, but it seems they were a day early.
I always hate traveling in PA during the winter because it seems they do nothing with the roads until there is a fatality.

 

[inkasnana]

This news article, Slick roads partly resulting from concerns over salt budget suggests a budget problem.

I have no idea if it was just coincidence or related to the state's financial situation, but the last couple of times that we drove through Indiana we noticed that every weigh station we passed was closed. Each time we went through the state it was during the "regular work week", one time during the day and once at night. We've noticed more scales closed in other states as well.

 

[Moot]

In a recent Highway Angel trucker-rescues-motorist story, a truck driver on I-94 near South Bend plucked a motorist out of freezing water and then waited two hours for help to arrive as he kept the motorist warm in his cab. TWO HOURS on I-94!

In this case I think the truck driver was geographically challenged which may have lead to the long wait time.

Trucks were jacknifed on the open road because of ice, not just at interesections. Why would they just do the interesections?

I-65 is an interstate highway and has no intersections. It is a common practice on urban streets and roadways to salt only at intersections. The concern there is starting and stopping. Vehicular traffic also tends spread and carry salt a distance down the street.

I agree that if I-65 was icy then it should have been salted.

Diane and I have other first-hand experiences that lead me to believe that Indiana is cutting back on highway safety more than other states.

I think we will see more states cutting back on highway safety and maintenance. Too bad some of this stimulus money won't be spent where it is really needed.

 

[chefdennis]

The city of toledo ohio has limited their use of salt to main roads, no secondary roads at all because of the cost and budget restrains.

65 in indiana was a total mess last week and it was close to noon before it MELTED off, no salt was used at all

 

[bluejaybee]

So like if, ugh, they don't have the money, well, ugh, what good is it going to do to complain? Looks to me to be a simple solution. No salt? Not safe? Don't drive. Who did you hear say anything about UPS shutting down in Oklahoma 2 or 3 weeks ago because of the road conditions. Sometimes, it is just too bad to try and go on. Two years ago, I went to Chicago and ran into ice and wrecks on I65 in Indiana. My theory was that they were going too fast. And probably was when they wrecked, but, I made it with a tight a** and using a little sense. I have always thought T/T go too fast for the conditions. They are usually the first ones to start piling up anyway. We will be seeing more of this I am sure. Of course, once Obama gets a good feel for everything, then we will see things get much better. That's what I am holding my breathe for. Not.