Highway 6 through Spanish Fork Canyon. It's become one of the deadliest stretches of highway in the state, even the nation.
But from now, through the weekend, the Utah Highway Patrol is hoping to make it safer.
Keith McCord reports.
At sun-up this morning, the UHP had two helicopters in the air, and had several dozen additional troopers on the ground, conducting a so-called "saturation" patrol on Highway 6, from the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon, all the way to Price!
Five deaths so far this year,
more than 40 during the three previous years.
Utah's Highway 6 is a very dangerous highway.
Col. Earl Morris/Deputy Commissioner, Dept. of Public Safety: "BUT I THINK THE REASON WHY WE THINK IT'S DANGEROUS IS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE DRIVING IT IN A MANNER IN WHICH THE ROAD WAS NOT DESIGNED."
Long winding stretches with steep grades, and areas where there are just two lanes, drivers are speeding, and crossing over the center line to pass slower moving vehicles, often taking unsafe chances.
From now through Sunday night, two shifts of 30-troopers each, will work to slow people down. For this special enforcement action, the UHP wants to send a strong message!
Col. Earl Morris/Deputy Commissioner, Dept. of Public Safety: "AND THE MESSAGE IS THIS: NO LONGER WILL HIGHWAY 6 BE AN AREA WHERE YOU CAN DRIVE AT WHATEVER SPEEDS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO DRIVE AND PASS WHERE YOU'D LIKE TO PASS."
These patrols will cover a 60-mile stretch of the highway; it will be a two-pronged approach: from the air and on the ground.
Officers in the choppers will contact troopers on the ground if they spot unsafe driving.
The state is working on a plan to make a number of improvements on Highway 6 to make it safer.
13-million dollars is available, and
recommendations on how to spend it will come later this year.
Until then, motorists can expect more patrols like this.
Col. Earl Morris/Deputy Commissioner, Dept. of Public Safety: "YOU WILL SEE INCREASED PATROL IN THIS CANYON FROM HERE ON OUT. WE'VE TARGETED THIS AS A PRIORITY OF THE UTAH HIGHWAY PATROL."
A few more stats about Highway 6:
Nearly 80 percent of the fatal accidents happen during daylight hours, and most of those ocurred during good weather.
Troopers won't be issuing very many "warnings" this weekend!
May 9, 2002
May 2, 2002
A truck loaded with fresh apples and pears made one healthy mess of Utah's Highway Six tonight.
Troopers say the truck was going too fast around a turn, rolled over and spilled its load all over the road.
The driver of the truck was not seriously injured.
But his apples and pears were a little bruised.
They'll be worse than that once the train comes down the railroad tracks.
More than 100 cases of produce went flying.
Troopers say about five fruit trucks each year roll over at this same curve.
April 24, 2002
Today brought another deadly accident on Highway Six in Spanish Fork Canyon.
David Webb, age 48, of Provo, was killed instantly when his car drifted into the on-coming lane and hit a semi truck head-on.
The driver of the semi and two passengers in the cab were not hurt.
Today's accident is the first fatal crash this year on the Utah County portion of that dangerous highway.
Trooper Brett Christensen/Utah Highway Patrol: "PEOPLE NEED TO PAY BETTER ATTENTION. THE ROAD IS WINDING AND NARROW. IT IS NOT DANGEROUS, BUT IT IS NOT VERY FORGIVING IF DRIVERS MAKE ERRORS."
An average of eleven people have died every year over the last decade on Highway Six, between I-15 near Spanish Fork and I-70 near Green River.
UDOT is in the process of spending millions of dollars to make more safety improvements to the highway.
