TRAFFIC COVERAGE
On TV: Sgt. Mark Bowron has traffic updates to help you with your commute every 10 minutes in the morning Monday-Friday from 5-7 a.m. on WHIO-TV Channel 7.
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On the radio: Sgt. Mark Bowron has traffic updates throughout the day at News 95.7 FM and AM 1290. Also, listen at 7:15 a.m. Mondays for a look ahead at the week in construction areas to watch from our transportation reporter Steve Bennish.
The first results are in for a special speeding enforcement program on Interstate 75 through downtown Dayton, a construction zone where bad drivers can create havoc.
In the first eight days of the program, 49 speeding citations were issued. Police also issued two citations for driving under suspension, three for no operating license and nine other citations.
The “zero tolerance” program began the week of April 27. Too many accidents have occurred in the 45-mph construction zone, police say, with speeding and following too closely the major causes.
The stretch of highway — from the University of Dayton Arena to the Main Street ramp — was the scene of 240 accidents in 2014 and about 50 so far this year, according to data compiled by the city’s Bureau of Traffic Engineering.
Accidents in that spot can take a toll, sometimes closing the highway for hours.
In a 50-hour period last October, Dayton police spotted 547 speeders in the construction zone — a number so large that veteran traffic officers were surprised.
The extra patrol includes a sergeant and two patrol officers. The patrol is in the construction zone during rush hours.
It’s still too early to tell whether the extra patrol is having a big impact, but Dayton Police Sgt. John Ross, who compiles statistics for the city, said there have been no accidents while police are on the scene.
“It’s a worthwhile effort because it’s a constricted area and ever-changing,” Ross added.
On Monday, police supplemented the extra enforcement with yet another tool — the city’s mobile speed patrol vehicle.
It remained there until Wednesday when it traveled to Belmont High School to keep tabs on speeders in that neighborhood.
At last check, it tracked 20,000 vehicles in 24 hours and tagged 200 with speeding violations, said Dayton Police Det. Jason Ward.
The I-75 program will continue until October, courtesy of a $50,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
The I-75 rebuild through downtown is not scheduled to be completed until 2017.
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