Sibley, Iowa — Speed is being blamed for a rash of mishaps that have befallen truck drivers in the bridge construction area on Highway 60 south of Sibley.
Osceola County Chief Deputy Kevin Wollmuth says there have been seven or eight incidents in which tractor-trailer rigs had trouble navigating the narrow lane left for motorists to use, with some of them striking the concrete barriers and others losing control and overturning in the road ditch. Wollmuth says he thinks that in each incident the blame can be placed on the speed the truckers were travelling going into the construction zone.
Wollmuth says there are multiple signs as far north as a mile north of Jackpot Junction warning motorists of the bridge construction. Wollmuth concedes that the traffic lane through the construction area is very tight, but he says he believes that, if trucks enter the area slow enough they should have no problems. He says the Iowa Department of Transportation has now installed a light to illuminate the area at night, in hopes of preventing more mishaps.
The good news, however, is that as many collisions as have taken place, no serious injuries or deaths have been reported.