State transportation cabinet officials say that there won’t be a reconstruction of the ramp that currently leads drivers from U.S. 41-North to the 41-North Strip.
A recent Hendersonian article about city of Henderson officials asking for more to be done at the ramp that will one day serve as an exit from I-69 to the U.S. 41-Strip struck a chord with many when it was shared on Facebook. Many negative comments focused on the design, and many called for a reconstruction to increase the turning radius.
But that’s not going to happen, according to Emily Deason, the project manager for Section 1 of the I-69 Ohio River Crossing.
“At this time, no,” she said. “The way it’s designed and built out is the final design.”
Reducing speed is the key to avoid accidents at the new exit ramp, say transportation officials.
“As with all new traffic configurations, we closely monitor how drivers are adapting and how the roadway is performing,” said Mindy Peterson, a spokesperson for the I-69 Ohio River Crossing. “It is important for drivers to observe the 30 mph speed advisory signs.”
State transportation cabinet officials are implementing increased signage to alert drivers.
Deason said a large overhead sign is in production now and should be in place in the next few months. Traveling north, the sign will be placed just past Canoe Creek, she said. The overhead sign will span all lanes of northbound traffic, she said.
It will measure 15 ½ feet tall and 17 ½ feet wide and its bottom edge will stand at least 17 feet from the ground, Deason said.
The overhead sign has always been a part of the plans, but officials decided to add more information after recent accidents at the ramp. That includes a line for the 30 miles per hour advisory speed and flashing beacons to draw attention to the sign, Deason said.
Early in the month, Henderson Mayor Brad Staton said he was sending requests to cabinet officials requesting larger signage. He also said that there could also be a request for rumble strips and a guard rail.
This was in reaction to another accident on the ramp, this one occurring Dec. 31. According to city officials, there have been eight accidents at the ramp since its opening in early October.
In the most recent accident, a lone semi-truck that jackknifed on the ramp at about 12:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, closing the road for about an hour, said Officer Jason Cullum, the Henderson Police Department’s public information officer. He said the accident appeared to be speed-related.
Transportation officials have also set up a portable sign that flashes when motorists approach at speeds in excess of 30 miles per hour. Deason said, though, that sign was damaged in the recent ice cleanup.
Staton was adamant last week that more needed to be done to alert drivers of the sharp curve. “We can’t keep having this many accidents,” he said.
Deason additionally said that by early fall motorists will be able to drive on the future I-69 past the ramp and all the way to U.S. 60. She hopes this makes drivers more cognizant that the ramp is an exit ramp and slowing down before it is more of an automatic response.
