May 16. By Dave Vieser. Less than a month after loose steel reflectors became a critical safety issue in the I-77 construction zone, it turns out a dump truck being operated by a Cintra sub-contractor caused massive gridlock in Cornelius and on the interstate last Friday May 12.
The accident happened around 12:30 am in the dark—when the most intense construction is under way—when a truck hit an overhead sign. Traffic was nightmarish for another 12 hours on major arteries like West Catawba, Sam Furr and Hwy 21.
According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, two of three northbound lanes remained closed on I-77 for over 12 hours while crews removed a portion of the sign structure. The damage was a safety hazard to drivers and was removed before re-opening the lanes to traffic.
DOT spokeswoman Jennifer Thompson said one of the construction vehicles working in the area caused the damage, delaying tens of thousands of motorists in Cornelius and on the interstate from I-485 north to Langtree Road/Exit 31.
The accident location occurred near milepost 32, in the area where crews are working overnight on the toll lane project.
This has not been a good week for Cintra. On Tuesday May 16, overnight toll lane construction work on I-77 in Charlotte ran until 7:45 am because of equipment issues, significantly delaying rush hour traffic. Sugar Creek construction will be assessed a penalty by the DOT because of the Tuesday delays, according to Thompson.
The subcontractor’s insurance company is expected to pay for the sign damage. “We are conducting a full investigation to determine if there are additional liabilities,” Thompson said.
