A trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol directs traffic at Highway 30 in Odessa, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — A two-year Interstate 80 project is underway in Buffalo County and several accidents have taken place in the head-to-head traffic configuration, including two fatal accidents.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation announced the project in March and the work consists of full depth concrete replacement of I-80 in both directions of travel, four bridge widening and re-decks, and a box culvert will be built to replace two bridges.
Traffic has been maintained in a head-to-head configuration using temporary traffic control devices in the westbound lanes while the eastbound lanes are under construction during the 2024 construction season, this will be flipped in the 2025 season.
As with any change to the normal traffic flow, there have been accidents that have occurred within the construction zone since April, two of which have been fatal.
Eric Klein, NDOT District 4 Construction Engineer, said that since the head-to-head traffic configuration was started in April and through June, there have been 11 vehicle-on-vehicle and vehicle avoiding vehicle accidents.
Klein said the NDOT was still processing their traffic accident numbers for July.
Two of the accidents on April 21 and June 12 resulted in fatalities.
The April 21 fatal crash was the second incident of the day.
The first crash occurred at approximately 9:45 a.m. Sunday, near mile marker 257 on I-80. The crash occurred when a pickup rear-ended a semi in the construction zone. The driver of the pickup suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A child also suffered minor injuries. I-80 was closed for approximately 90 minutes.
The second crash occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. Sunday, near the same location. This occurred when a semi was parked on the westbound shoulder, in the two-lane construction zone. Another semi, hauling a piece of ag equipment, struck the semi that was parked on the shoulder, causing the ag equipment to enter the eastbound lanes and strike an oncoming semi.
The driver of the eastbound semi was killed in the crash. He was identified as Viacheslav Nadolinkskii, 49, of Dallas, North Carolina.
The June 12 accident resulted in criminal prosecution. “At approximately 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, eastbound traffic stop-and-go on I-80 between Elm Creek and Overton because of a stalled vehicle in the construction zone,” according to the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP).
“As responders were attempting to clear the roadway and get traffic moving again, a secondary crash occurred. An eastbound Subaru SUV failed to slow down for stopped traffic and struck the rear of a semi-trailer,” per the NSP.
The driver of the Subaru was transported to the Lexington Regional Health Center with serious injuries. The Subaru passenger was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced deceased on the scene.
“The passenger has been identified as Masood Rasooli, 54, of Orangevale, Calif. The driver of the Subaru, Mary Rasooli, 28, of Sacramento, Calif., has been cited for careless driving and motor vehicle homicide,” the NSP stated.
I-80 was closed for four hours following the incident.
When asked about the number of accidents, Klein said traffic volumes over the past several years have increased two to four percent. He noted the NDOT has employed new sensors and messaging boards that warn drivers of slower traffic that has led to a decrease in overall number of accidents in construction zones.
What has stood out to Klein is the number of accidents involving vehicles that have broken down or stalled within the construction zones. With the head-to-head traffic, the margin of error is impacted as drivers work to maintain their lane.
Klein noted that there have been plenty of incidents where a stalled vehicle has not caused an accident, but he did note that on Saturday, Aug. 3, a semi-trailer struck a vehicle that was towing a motorcycle in a trailer and had pulled over to the shoulder for an issue.
For the remainder of this construction season and future seasons on I-80, Klein advised drivers to put their phones down, maintain vigilance and pay attention for suddenly slowing traffic.
