An intersection in Carson City is causing concerns after yet another crash involving a commercial truck closed the road.
On Monday, a dump truck flipped over after turning right from U.S. 50 east to South Carson Street. Four other cars were involved, and three people went to the hospital.
Nevada Highway Patrol says it is stepping up inspections of commercial vehicles along U.S. 50 east as a result of these frequent crashes. These inspections are comprehensive and include brake inspections.
On Tuesday, NHP took two semi-trucks out of service due to mechanical problems.
Drivers taking U.S. 50 east approaching the intersection with U.S. 395, Interstate 580, and South Carson Street face steep downgrades heading into Carson City.
Nevada Highway Patrol says those steep grades are a contributing factor in recent crashes.
"These commercial vehicles coming down these steep grades, if they overuse their brakes, they end up having brake fade where the brakes get softer,” says Trooper James LaRose, Public Information Officer for NHP. “They don't stop, because they've overheated or something of that nature."
Three commercial truck crashes have occurred at that intersection in July.
All three of the trucks were driving east on U.S. 50 down Spooner Summit.
In the first one on July 2nd, a box truck was going too fast for conditions and rolled over while turning south.
On July 14th, a cement truck tried to turn left but crashed near the Freedom the Eagle statue.
Finally, on Tuesday, a dump truck turning right flipped over the median, and spilled its contents on the north lanes of Highway 395.
“All three of the crashes have involved some form of, still under investigation, either brake failure or driver error,” LaRose says.
The Nevada Department of Transportation says it has built two truck escape ramps on U.S. 50 east heading into Carson City to account for brake failures on the steep downgrade. One of them is less than a half mile from Carson Street, near the Costco.
Despite the name, any driver can use these truck ramps if there's no other way to slow down.
State agencies would rather deal with a car there than as part of a major crash.
"The ramp is there for a reason,” LaRose says. “It makes everybody safer if we can utilize the ramps as necessary. If they've done everything else, they possibly can to slow the vehicle down, but they just can't get it to slow down, it's better to go ahead and take the ramp, and then we'll deal with the aftermath of that."
Depending on how well inspections go, NHP says they could expand to other steep downgrades, such as Mount Rose Highway. That road also has a truck escape ramp installed near Incline Village.
