Travelers on eastbound I-80 experienced heavy delays Saturday after two fatal crashes within a couple of miles of each other Friday night.
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Davies Sanchez told KPCW the crashes happened in and near I-80 construction work.
The Utah Department of Transportation has been repaving the road west of Kimball Junction to east of U.S. 40 overnight. The work occurs Monday to Saturday from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. and Sundays from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Sanchez said a motorist pulled to the side of the interstate just before midnight Friday and got out of his vehicle.
“We still are unclear whether if he just wanted to talk to the construction workers or he had a reason to go and stop on the side of the road to talk to the workers, but the driver of that vehicle exited the vehicle after pulling over to the shoulder and attempted to cross the road,” he said.
That’s when the driver was hit by a pickup truck.
Sanchez said the man was flown to the University of Utah Hospital but died en route.
“We are suspecting impairment from the driver that passed, but that's still pending investigation,” Sanchez said.
Due to an investigation during the night, UDOT construction was delayed. Repaving work continued into Saturday afternoon, reducing I-80 eastbound traffic to one lane and causing heavy traffic delays.
All lanes reopened just after 12 p.m.
Another fatality happened in the same area hours before the first at around 5:30 p.m.
Sanchez said a motorcyclist could not slow down quickly enough in traffic and rear-ended an SUV, then bounced off, hitting another SUV.
The motorcyclist was transported to the hospital but later died.
UHP recently reported July was the deadliest on record for motorcyclists. The Utah Department of Public Safety is urging motorcyclists to slow their speeds and improve their overall skills.
