One way in, one way out

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Robert Caudill
  • 354th Fighter Wing Safety Office
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  One way in and one way out, that's what the Richardson Highway (commonly known as the Rich) is to Eielson residents.

If you need to get to Fairbanks, North Pole, or even back to Eielson, there's really only one road that will take you to your destination and that's the Richardson Highway.

So what exactly does that mean?

The number one thing is traffic, and at times there can be a decent amount of it. Not the amount that you would come to expect in larger cities in the lower 48--but a large amount for us interior folks. To compound the problem all of the side roads feed directly into the Rich and they do that by allowing vehicles to directly cross North- and South-bound lanes of travel.

The vehicles from the side roads make death defying dashes out into oncoming traffic to either get across the Rich or in an attempt to merge into existing traffic going from zero to 55 mph as fast as they can without getting in an accident.

The two most notorious intersections where side roads feed into the Rich for Eielson folks are where Laurence Road and Dawson Road meet the Richardson Highway.

Over the past few weeks these intersections have experienced two tragic vehicular fatalities which could have been avoided, but how?

As the operator of a more-than one thousand-pound projectile you have a responsibility to pay close attention to everything that is going on around you. It's a non-stop activity of checking mirrors for surrounding traffic, adjusting speed, and using good old common sense with some ORM thrown in.

Remember just because somebody has a directional signal on doesn't always mean they intend to turn. You should never let your guard down when operating a motor vehicle.
Don't be the guy or the gal that is in such a rush to get somewhere that you can't wait 10 more seconds for a vehicle to get by, so you have a clear path of travel.

Remember the decisions you make out on the road not only affect you, but they also affect everybody around you. Don't allow yourself to make a poor decision which could cost you or somebody else their most precious gift: Life.