Since its October opening, eight accidents have occurred at the ramp that will eventually take drivers from I-69 to the 41-Strip
Accidents occurring on the new ramp leading from U.S. 41 to the 41-North Strip have caused city of Henderson officials to ask the state transportation cabinet that something be done.
The ramp, which will eventually serve as an exit ramp from I-69 to the U.S. 41-North Strip, opened on Oct. 10, and according to city of Henderson records, eight accidents have occurred there since.
Henderson Mayor Brad Staton said Thursday he was planning to contact state transportation officials to ask if something more can be done at the location.
“What the state has set up is not adequate and needs to be updated,” he said. “We can’t keep having this many accidents.”
By Friday, a sign that shows motorists’ speed and flashes speeds above the posted 30 miles per hour limit had been set up.
Staton said he was planning to ask for a much larger sign going into the exit that alerts drivers of a tipping possibility and speed reduction. He said on a recent trip on I-165, the signage from that interstate to the exit ramp to get on U.S. 60 in Owensboro was much larger than what is currently in place at the exit ramp on U.S. 41 to the Strip. He said it’s a huge sign, estimating it as 8 feet by 12 feet.
The mayor also said that there could also be a request for rumble strips and a guard rail.
City Manager Buzzy Newman said the city and state transportation officials have had discussions and KYCT is aware of the recurring accidents.
“This problem is not going away,” Newman said.
Both Staton and Newman said that there’s no way for the exit ramp to be reconstructed to increase the radius so that drivers wouldn’t have to drive on such a sharp turn.
The most recent accident occurred on Dec. 31. According to Henderson Police Department Officer Jason Cullum, the wreck involved a lone semi-truck that jackknifed on the ramp. He said the incident occurred at about 12:30 p.m., and the road was closed for approximately 1 hour.
There were no injuries, he said. And the accident appears to be speed-related, he said.
Mindy Peterson, a spokesperson for the I-69 Ohio River Crossing, said she was preparing responses to several of the questions about the ramp. Because of state transportation officials’ vacations, she said a response could not be issued before Monday.
The Hendersonian will update this article when state transportation officials respond.