Confusion along I-80 led to mishap

Courtney Orton reportingConstruction confusion along I-80 led to a mishap when a taxi tried to get off the interstate at State Street. The cab ended up, upside down.

Those who drive on I-80 regularly know how confusing and frustrating it can be with all of the construction. Confusion, speed and a quick swerve led to a taxi cab rollover. Mark Allington, with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) says the taxi, "slid down the ramp about 50 feet before it came to a rest."

And it stopped on its top. The driver of the taxi, Salah Awad, crawled out of a broken window without a scratch. He says it all happened really fast. "The car in front of me was undecided about where to go, he kept slowing down. He would hit the brake and keep going. Finally I saw my exit was on my way, so I tried to move over to the right lane."

It was a last minute maneuver to get off in time. "All of a sudden my car flip around," said Awad.

UDOT construction workers, who were working along that stretch of the road, say it looked like he was going too fast and maybe not paying close enough attention. It is something they say many drivers are guilty of as they drive throughout the I-80 corridor. "The biggest thing that we're seeing here through the corridor is people really not paying attention to their environment, where they're going, what they're doing," says Allington.

Driving along this stretch of interstate can be tricky with all the construction. UDOT says they work hard to keep it safe. Allington says, "We are really striving to make the corridor safe. We re-stripped over the weekend. We've really done some things to improve the safety. We've painted the yellow stripe along the barrier so people can see the barrier a lot better."

UDOT says they re-paint the lines as frequently as they can. But when the zipper barrier is moved, it scrapes the paint off the road, making it very confusing for drivers.

They say drivers need to slow down and pay close attention.

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