Following bus crash, Georgia to add safety measures to exits

<p>The Georgia Department of Transportation is making safety changes to seven of its left hand commuter-lane exits along Interstate highways in metro Atlanta following a deadly bus crash at one of the exits nearly two weeks ago.</p><p>The department will add signs, raised pavement and reflective striping to the ramps starting Wednesday, spokesman David Spear said. He declined to say whether the safety measures could have prevented the March 2 wreck where the bus driver apparently mistook the commuter-lane exit ramp for an interstate lane.</p><p>"It's almost impossible to speculate," Spear said.</p><p>Seven people died after the bus crossed through a T-intersection at the top of the ramp at Interstate 75 and Northside Drive, then careened over the retaining wall of the overpass to the interstate 30 feet below. The bus was carrying a baseball team from Bluffton University in Ohio to Florida.</p><p>Four team members, the driver and his wife, were killed in the accident. A fifth player died last week from injuries sustained in the crash.</p><p>Twenty-nine people in all were sent to hospitals following the wreck. Two remained hospitalized Tuesday, one in critical condition.</p><p>The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the accident.</p><p>Bluffton University President James Harder said Tuesday that although the close-knit, Mennonite college is awaiting the results of the federal investigation, "anything that can be done now to prevent future accidents is significant."</p><p>Spear said Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl decided to make the safety changes at ramps on I-75 and I-85 based on recommendations from department engineers who had inspected the Northside Drive intersection and other intersections after the bus wreck.</p><p>According to Atlanta police, at least three other drivers involved in accidents at that ramp since 2002 told authorities they didn't realize they had left the I-75 commuter lane before they crashed.</p><p>Spear said the Northside Drive ramp will receive more reflective paint on the pavement, including adding the word "exit" at the bottom and another "stop ahead" along the ramp. At the top of the ramp, the department will install larger stop signs and add arrow signs that indicate drivers must turn left or right, he said.</p><p>The department also will add a small median to the middle of Northside Drive so that drivers can see that they can't continue straight, Spear said.</p><p>These are changes the department could make in a short time without having to get permits to add overhead signs or other devices, he said. More significant alterations to the ramps could come with time after engineers study the exits more, Spear said.</p><p>Bob Sprunger, whose son, Tyler, was trapped upside down when the bus hit the pavement, said the changes are a good start.</p><p>"I'm glad to see them moving quickly," said Sprunger, whose son, a junior from Berne, Ind., returned to classes Tuesday.</p><p>Chester Slabaugh, whose son Allen was thrown from the bus but not seriously injured, said parents will be watching to make sure appropriate changes are made to the exit.</p><p>"At least they're trying to do something," he said. "I'll give them credit for that."</p><p>Associated Press writer John Seewer in Ohio contributed to this report.</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x1cde274)</p>