ANDERSON — The stretch of Interstate 69 running through Madison and Delaware counties has claimed five lives since late May.
Kendall J. Nicholson, 17, of Anderson and Lance Stephens, 48, of Indianapolis were killed in traffic accidents on consecutive days, Sept. 13 and 14. Earlier in the year, Amber Davidson, 23, of Fishers; Tavionna Ford, 4, of Indianapolis, and Audrianna Chavez, 27, of Camby, all lost their lives in accidents.
According to Indiana State Police, there was only one fatality on that stretch of road during all of 2013.
Is I-69 safe? Is it becoming more dangerous?
Officials and law enforcement think it's a complicated issue. But, generally, the consensus is the road is safe; drivers just need to pay more attention.
"Absolutely (I-69 is safe)," said Robert Wertman, transportation planning supervisor of the Madison County Council of Governments.
But Wertman notes the road has featured several recent construction projects that complicate driving on the interstate. Also, the interstate is taking on more traffic as time passes.
The traffic volumes vary at each exit throughout the two counties, but considering the path from Indianapolis to Anderson to Muncie and Fort Wayne, the stretch is easily one of the most traveled thoroughfares in the state. Indiana monitors traffic volume with count stations at certain exits and uses those counts to estimate an average daily traffic figure.
According to MCOG numbers, 60,336 vehicles a day run between Exits 214 and 219 in Ingalls and Pendleton. The number goes up to 62,490 between Exits 219 and 220, and again to 63,657 between Exits 221 and 226. The average then drops to 40,987 between Exits 226 and 234.
According to Wertman, that's a lot of traffic.
"We see increases and decreases along seasonal lines, but the trend you see is that the road is very heavily traveled from Indianapolis to Muncie. And the numbers are increasing," Wertman said.
Heavy traffic puts a strain on local law enforcement. Pendleton Chief of Police Marc Farrer has called the town's proximity to I-69 both a blessing and a curse. The positive increase in commercial and retail activity is offset by more calls for police service, including traffic accidents. Pendleton police have been involved in emergency responses to two of the fatal accidents on I-69 this year.
"We respond to accidents between (exits) 217 and 221.5. It can be a drain on our resources," Farrer said.
But like Wertman, police hesitate to call I-69 unsafe. Maj. Brian Bell of the Madison County Sheriff's Department thinks the uptick in traffic deaths are an anomaly that could be attributed to several factors, including an increase in construction along the interstate.
Chavez was killed June 23 in a fiery accident near a construction zone. The truck that rear-ended her vehicle failed to slow down as it approached a construction area, according to reports. Nicholson's death also occurred near a construction zone.
Eric Perkins, a trooper with the State Police Pendleton District, has been patrolling I-69 in the district for seven years. During that time, he hasn't seen behavior of drivers change much. Motorists, he said, simply aren't paying enough attention to the road.
"I don't think they're getting more aggressive. The road can just get really congested," Perkins said. "It's safe. You just have people not paying attention. There are slow downs for construction zones, and people get distracted with their phones and radios. It leads to a lot of secondary crashes."
Safety improvements are on the way for I-69. New lighting at Exit 219 and median cabling are planned, and INDOT intends to expand the highway from four to six lanes between mile markers 205 and 214. With a recent surplus, Indiana invested $200 million into a transportation fund that will assist in upcoming projects on I-69. One project calls for roundabouts to be installed at Exit 219 in 2018.
Wertman said I-69 operates between a C and D grade for capacity safety by state standards. While that might sound bad, Wertman said most high-capacity interstate highways like I-69 are designed for a C grade.
So, safety ultimately rests with the driver. Bell said he'd like to see people slow down near construction zones and not follow so closely, a notorious fault of motorists on I-69. Perkins urged motorists to wait to use their phones and electronic devices, even if the devices are hands-free.
"Don't just look at the cars in front of you or two cars in front," he said. "Actually pay attention to what they're doing. Lift your head and check what cars are doing 20 spots ahead of you. Be scanning so you can react faster.
"And just put your phones down."