-
May 14, 2008 8:12 pm US/Mountain
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
CDOT Couldn't Afford Rails Where SUV Plunged
EISENHOWER TUNNEL, Colo. (CBS4) ―
The Colorado Department of Transportation confirmed that it had plans to put up a guardrail at the spot where an SUV plunged off Interstate 70, killing a pregnant woman in the vehicle.
The driver lost control in snowy conditions near the Eisenhower Tunnel Tuesday. The SUV rolled hundreds of feet down an embankment. Analisette Sapien and her unborn child died.
CDOT said funds are tight and they are already more than $60 billion short for just general maintenance that needs to be done over the next 27 years.
As much as a mile of guardrail in the area of concern would cost about $175,000. It doesn't sound like a lot, but CDOT said they couldn't even afford to pave both sides of I-70 up on the Summit County side of the tunnel last year. That's why the rail wasn't in place yet, according to CDOT.
"Typically a guardrail has been crucial in containing an accident to the highway," Chief Dave Parmley with Lake Dillon Fire Rescue said. "Unless it's a large truck or vehicle of that nature."
The accident area that doesn't have a guardrail is the steepest.
"The biggest reason there isn't guardrail there yet is because of funding," Stacey Stegman with CDOT said. "But still, we are very cautious about where we put in guardrail. Guardrail is not the panacea for safety. When people hit guardrail, it causes injuries."
Firefighters told CBS4 the area of the plunge is an unusual spot for accidents, especially on the uphill side where cars don't go as fast.
Stegman said guardrail will be installed in the area during the summer.
"This summer we're completing the stretch that we most recently had an accident," she said. "We'll be installing guardrail closer to the tunnel going in the eastbound lanes and that will be installed probably in July."
Parmley said it will definitely be a benefit to have guardrail in place.
"I don't believe there is a downside to doing it," he said.
(© MMVIII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)