CRACKDOWN ON INTERSTATE 89

Police to launch I-89 crackdown

ALISON REDLICH -- Free Press Photo
By Adam Silverman
Free Press Staff Writer

March 28, 2006
Slow down. Don't tailgate. And for crying out loud, use that turn signal before changing lanes. Otherwise, watch out.

That's the message from Vermont State Police to drivers on Interstate 89 as troopers prepare to ratchet up enforcement starting Monday between Colchester and South Burlington. Police promise that quick, costly tickets and low tolerance will greet dangerous drivers in an effort to improve highway safety.

The patrols will center on the Winooski River Bridge during the morning rush hour, a time when thousands of commuters clog one of the region's main transportation arteries.

Reckless driving -- speeding, following too closely, not using blinkers, weaving through traffic -- between 6 and 9 a.m. leads to about 300 crashes a year, said Lt. Al Buck, commander of the Vermont State Police post in Williston. Most are fender-benders, although some involve several vehicles in rear-end smash-ups. Other crashes have involved injuries and, rarely, deaths. All lead to substantial delays as commuters head to work.

"It's dangerous, and we've got to do something," Buck said. "People are driving too fast for the amount of traffic, and somebody cuts somebody off, and bang, bang, bang, bang. We are going to start an aggressive enforcement campaign."

Drivers could receive tickets for speeding as little as 5 mph over the 55-mph limit, especially if the person also is driving in an erratic or dangerous way, Buck said. The patrols are expected to continue through at least June 30.

'Vehicular zoo'

Emergency crews and police agree that the biggest trouble spot is on the southbound lanes over the Winooski River, where a third lane stretches from the on-ramp across the bridge before it merges into the travel lane. Cars entering the interstate from East Allen Street often whip over into traffic rather than using the entire third lane.

"It's like they're coming out of the pit stall at NASCAR, and they have to get over into the fast lane as soon as they can," said David Bergeron, Winooski's fire chief, whose department is primarily responsible for responding to calls on the bridge. "Nobody seems to want to slow down."

The patrols are the result of recent meetings between state police and nearly a dozen emergency-response agencies and state departments, Buck said. Police received a federal grant to pay troopers for overtime to catch or deter reckless drivers; hazardous driving is so widespread that troopers couldn't focus on other duties and still conduct the aggressive patrols, Buck said.

"It's a vehicular zoo out there," said Lt. Bill O'Leary, the state police's traffic safety coordinator. "We're not going to sit by and wait for people to kill themselves."

Troopers will not have to write a certain number of tickets and will have discretion in issuing citations, but commanders expect results, Buck said.

"There are no quotas," he said, "but if someone goes out there five times and comes back with all goose eggs, we'll address it, because it's a performance issue."

Rescue crews -- the firefighters and emergency medical technicians who race to crash sites to help victims and police as traffic often continues blasting past -- said the increased law-enforcement presence is necessary. Patrols can help make the road safer and keep rescue crews out of harm's way as they do their jobs, South Burlington Fire Chief Doug Brent said.

"It's not as easy as just setting up some traffic cones," he said. "Enforcement seemed to be the only choice."

Future plans

The patrols are one part of a longer-term solution to help traffic flow more smoothly along the highway.

Later this year, state transportation officials plan to install a stop light at the interstate's first southbound off-ramp onto Williston Road in South Burlington, and to extend the merging lane. Planners hope those steps will reduce the line of vehicles waiting to exit that stack up on the highway's breakdown lane in the mornings, sometimes as far back as the Patchen Road overpass or farther.

Eventually, planners hope to expand the interstate to three lanes from Colchester to the I-189 exit or perhaps to Williston, Buck said, although that will take years to accomplish. "I'll be long retired before that ever happens," he said.

Meantime, emergency agencies hope that drivers will slow down, pay attention and be safe as the enforcement campaign begins.

"We're not going to be measured by the number of tickets we give out," O'Leary said, "but by the number of crashes we prevent."
Contact Adam Silverman at 660-1854 or asilverm@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com