There have been several discussions at both the state and federal level about certain areas that present safety challenges to truck drivers and pedestrian vehicles along certain stretches of interstates. There has been an effort to identify those certain areas that see regular collisions and to develop policies to curb some of those dangers.

Starting soon, drivers can expect to see certain stretches of I-10 through Arizona be peppered with signs reading, “Trucks Right Lane Only”. The Arizona Department of Transportation has teamed up with the Department of Safety to start posting these signs for certain mileages of the interstate that they’ve deemed dangerous based on previous accident reports.

The idea behind the new policy is to alleviate how much overlap in lanes that truck drivers and pedestrians can have. The DPS has stated that these are all high traffic areas that these new signs and policies will be enacted and aim to move large trucks into the right lane.

The idea around this policy is the start of their attempt to improve the safety of I-10 around the Gila River that has seen several accidents over the past decade. While this is the start, there will be future construction completed in years to come that will also aim to curb safety issues.

The longer-term plans will still need to go through environmental approvals along with applying for federal funding as well. Once the project has completed, truckers can expect to see three lanes going both directions which should significantly lower the number of delays that are currently experienced on that stretch of interstate.