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Route 18/50 intersection near Hickory to reopen this weekend despite setbacks

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Courtesy of Mount Pleasant Twp. Police Department

Motorcyclist John Riggle and his rider, Tonya Riggle, stopped in the closed area at Route 18 and Route 50 near Hickory on May 15, but then got off their bike to remove construction barrels before attempting to continue through the intersection.

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Courtesy of Mount Pleasant Township Police Department

Construction crews had just laid down the top layer of cement when a tractor-trailer driven by Douglas Harlan went around closure signs and orange barrels May 15, causing the vehicle to leave deep tire marks in the soft material on Route 18 near Hickory.

The intersection at Route 18 and Route 50 near Hickory, which has been closed to traffic since May 9 while crews rebuilt the heavily traveled junction, will reopen on schedule this weekend despite two different motorists who disobeyed the closure within hours of each other Monday and drove through fresh cement before getting bogged down and stuck.

Construction crews had just laid down the top layer of cement when a tractor-trailer driver heading south on Route 18 took his rig around the signs and barrels indicating the closure, causing the vehicle to leave deep tire marks in the soft material, Mount Pleasant Township police Chief Matthew Tharp said.

Less than four hours later, a motorcyclist and his passenger stopped in the same area of the closure site, but then got off their bike to remove construction barrels before attempting to continue through the intersection, Tharp said. Their motorcycle immediately sunk into the cement and got stuck.

Tharp declined to identify the drivers of either vehicle because charges are still pending against both of them while crews estimate the cost of the damage and additional resources it took to fix the roadway. He added that surveillance cameras in the area caught both incidents, giving investigators video recordings of what occurred.

“That’s the whole point of signage,” Tharp said of the closure to allow crews to safely work and give time for the cement to cure. “There was signage, and they both drove around barricades. (The construction crews) put up additional barricades before the motorcycle, which (the passenger) moved.”

Crews from Eurovia Atlantic Coast LLC apparently were able to salvage some segments of the roadway, but had to jack-hammer out other areas and lay the cement again, Tharp said.

Even with the setback, the intersection is still scheduled to reopen on time Saturday afternoon following 12 straight days of work, state Department of Transportation spokesman Joel Morris said.

Morris also reminded motorists to follow traffic signs and detours, while also never driving around traffic cones or barrels in a work zone.

“With any work zone, we ask motorists to pay attention to all signage that is in place,” Morris said. “The signage is there to ensure the safety of the traveling public and the crews in the work zone.”

The work was part of an $8.1 million project reconstructing the intersection and making other improvements along Route 18 heading toward Washington. Route 50 remained open throughout the project, along with the other sections of Route 18. Detours were in place to divert traffic onto Route 980 in order to avoid the intersection.

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