BEAUMONT, Texas — Startling new numbers may make think twice before you jump onto Interstate 10.
Data shows I-10 between Major Drive and FM 365 has seen more than 250 crashes just this year.
The latest crash was Thursday morning. State Troopers said a car heading westbound drove into the eastbound lane hitting a truck head-on.
The impact caused the truck to hit another vehicle. No one in the 3rd vehicle was hurt. The other two drivers were killed.
Sarah Dupre with the Texas Department of Transportation said there are three construction projects happening right now between Beaumont and Winnie.
The goal of this project is to widen I-10.
Dupre said this is a project that's been going on for years and she understands the frustration from drivers when dealing with the delays.
We know I-10 is a known hotspot for crashes. So, we did a little digging into the crash data.
So far this year a record 251 accidents have been reported, claiming the lives of 3 people. That's above average according to 6 years’ worth of data we pulled from TxDOT.
So we do understand that construction is frustrating or asking people to please you know, just have some patience during these projects.
“We need to have a day where there were no deaths on Texas roadways,” Dupree said.
Dupre said TxDOT works very closely with officials by adding more patrols and increasing enforcement to make sure that particular stretch of highway is as safe as possible for drivers.
Dupre also said the best thing you can do is plan your route out before you hit the roads. That gives you an idea of which areas you will see delays, and how to safely travel around them.
TxDOT said one of their construction projects along I-10 will be completed by the end of the year, but there are still more projects in the works.