Troopers nab another 19 drivers speeding in dangerous I-5 stretch

Washington State Troopers in Tacoma cited another 19 drivers in just an hour in a problematic eight-mile stretch of I-5 near SR 16.

RELATED: Troopers nab 20 drivers for speeding on I-5 in Tacoma
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Troopers were conducting an nighttime speed emphasis patrol in a new 50 mile-per-hour zone on I-5 near SR 16. Over an hour, they conducted 22 traffic stops, handed out 19 speeding tickets, and nabbed 18 aggressive drivers going 20 miles an hour over the speed limit.

The speed limit in that stretch of I-5 was recently adjusted from 60 to 50 miles per hour after eight semi crashes since September. Those incidents have been happening in the construction zone that starts in Fife and stretches south of the Tacoma Dome.

“It’s a collision-prone area in general. It encompasses two active construction zones. We’re not only concerned about the collisions in general, but the safety of the construction workers in that area,” State Trooper Johnna Batiste told KIRO Radio

Because it’s a construction zone, fines in the area are doubled. That means drivers pulled over a standard speeding infraction get a $210 ticket. Anyone cited for aggressive driving (20 miles over) is forced to pay $374.

“The fact of the matter is that almost on a daily basis, troopers are responding to collisions through this stretch,” said Trooper Batiste.

The first of eight semi-truck crashes happened on Sept. 30. Other crashes happened on Oct. 8 and 25, Nov. 21, Dec. 11, Jan. 17 and 23, and March 26.

Between April 1, 2018 and March 31, there were 1,574 collisions between milepost 130 and milepost 136, according to Washington State Patrol. Of those, 15 percent – 237 collisions – involved speeding.

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