CALDWELL, Idaho — Drivers are ignoring closure signs at an active construction zone in Caldwell, using a closed stretch of Linden Road as a shortcut, and community members say the consequences are reaching beyond the construction site itself.
WATCH | To see the aftermath of drivers ignoring traffic signs in Caldwell—
A community member captured video while heading to their business, showing drivers cutting through the closed roadway, which is part of a $1.7 million roundabout project at Linden and Ward Road.
"People are sneaking through all the time — and if they don't want to stop, they'll even run over the sign," TJ Jensen, a Caldwell community member, said.
City of Caldwell Engineer TJ Frans said driving through an active, closed construction zone puts everyone at risk.
"Anytime you drive through an active construction zone that's posted as closed, it poses a big risk to everyone in that area," Frans said.
Frans said construction zones change daily, meaning the dangers along closures are constantly shifting.
"That's very dangerous. There's a lot of construction activity happening in those zones — large equipment and workers throughout the area. At the end of the day, we want the public to get where they're going with as little impact as possible, but we also want those construction workers to get home at the end of each night," Frans said.
The problem isn't limited to the construction zone itself. Neighborhood Reporter Leslie Solis asked the online community what they've been seeing, and Debi-Terry Jensen reached out, saying detour traffic on her road has led to reckless driving and more crashes than she has seen in her 30 years living in Caldwell.
One incident even resulted in a crash on her property.
"A lot of times they don't even look both ways — they just tap and go. One car went through our fence, and another van T-boned him. We were lucky there weren't three fatalities," Jensen said.
Jensen said that while she understands the frustration that comes with detours in a growing city, ignoring closure signs can put neighbors in dangerous situations.
"We've had to become first responders, and we're not trained for it," Jensen said.
City officials say more construction projects are ahead, but they are hoping to lift some of the current detours before starting the next phase of work.
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