NY highway improvement zone on Route 17 in Tioga has seen numerous accidents

Local and state officials are urging drivers to drive responsibly and use caution, especially when traveling in a work area, after multiple crashes were reported in one county. Section of state Route 17 under construction this week in Tioga County.

The first accident occurred around 17:00 on Wednesday. Two cars crashed on eastbound Route 17, just east of the Exit 66 off-ramp near Apalachin. Apalachin Fire Chief Steve Luker said drivers following behind were unable to stop for enough time, resulting in more vehicles being involved in the accident.

Around 6 a.m. Thursday morning, a tractor trailer traveling eastbound near the Exit 65 on-ramp in Owego rolled into dense brush on the side of the highway.

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Those involved in the initial crashes had minor injuries and were not hospitalized, Luker said. The driver in Thursday’s tractor-trailer crash was not injured and refused medical attention.

one in july 52-year-old woman from Olean killed when the motorcycle he was riding as a passenger was attempting to merge onto Route 17 eastbound from exit 66 when it collided with a tractor trailer.

Workspace is part of an area $47 million state road improvement project It started in March. It closed the westbound side of the highway from Owego to the Broome County line, placing a concrete barrier between the eastbound lanes in both directions of travel.

The New York State Department of Transportation said that “safety is always a top priority” for their department and that work zones in New York are “enforced according to national standards to protect both drivers and highway workers.”

Luker said construction could be a “contributing factor” to multiple crashes in the same area of ​​travel and “won’t help,” but the Apalachin Fire Department responds to numerous highway calls with or without construction.

He urged drivers to use safe driving practices and have situational awareness, especially when driving in this area, and hopes drivers will use “good defensive driving” and maintain safe speeds and distances to help prevent accidents.

Luker said there is a certain “complexity” when maneuvering through narrow lanes due to the work area, which leads to a longer wait time for first responders to reach victims when an accident occurs.

“Safety is everyone’s responsibility,” NYSDOT said in a statement. “We urge everyone to drive responsibly, obey speed limits and stay alert.”

This article first appeared in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Accidents in Route 17 work zone require extra attention in Tioga County