Published on Friday, February 23, 2007
in the Ft. Myers News-Press

Check out the ride on I-75

Transportation reporter Ryan Hiraki is riding along Interstate 75 today with Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Richard Verbiest. This is his blow-by-blow account of the day, with the most recent updates at the top.

2:35 p.m.

Only 25 minutes to go until afternoon rush hour.

We're approaching Daniels Parkway, and traffic is starting to slow, a little, to about 50 mph.

That's still better than what it's going to be.

Think about it: in two hours, I-75 is going to be gridlock.

It is a nice thought, knowing I won't be on the interstate at that time.

2:18 p.m.

There's more.

While he is entering information into his computer, the man, woman and little girl get out of the car. Verbiest gets out of his patrol car to speak with them.

The little girl is sucking on a pacifier and clutching a plastic bottle of Sierra Mist.

The man leaves with a future date with a judge, March 12, for failing to register the vehicle. It is a misdemeanor.

2 p.m.

A teal Chevrolet Cavalier on Corkscrew Road had a little girl in the back seat, not wearing a seat belt.

Trooper Verbiest immediately pulled over the car.

"That little girl was unrestrained, even when I approached the vehicle," he said. "Amazing."

The girl is 2.

Her father is going to get a ticket for not restraining a child.

"And the tag's expired," Verbiest said. "He's going to get two tickets."

The child restraint ticket is $113.50; the expired tag, $69.50.

"This might save that little kid's life," Verbiest said.

12:37 p.m.

Traffic is slow on the interstate, under the East Terry Street overpass, as slow as 35 mph at one point.

I don't know why.

Maybe people are coming into town from the east coast, maybe people here are leaving to go north, to Tampa or St. Petersburg.

And perhaps people are getting off of work early, getting the weekend started already.

Now we're up to 50 mph and it seems so much faster after going 35.

Looking across the interstate, I am even happier.

Southbound traffic is crawling at the north end of Bonita Springs.

11:58 a.m.

The driver in the silver Mitsubishi claims he was cut off by a red Dodge Durango, then sideswiped the guardrail.

There were no witnesses. There was no citation. There was minimal damage, so the driver will be allowed to head to Fort Myers.

11:49 a.m.

The woman in the red Mustang already had gotten too far by the time Verbiest headed north on I-75 and turned around in the median where there was no guardrail.

He is back at the accident at the Bonita Beach Road overpass, where a silver Mitsubishi apparently scraped the driver's side against a guardrail or concrete barrier. The car's hood is up.

It is still unclear what happened.

I am laughing to myself, watching how much attention this is drawing, how much it is slowing traffic.

11:28

The crash in Bonita had no injuries.

That call was about a woman who needed medical attention. She was not in a crash.

Now she has taken off, trying to flee troopers in a red Ford Mustang.

Verbiest is responding.

10:54

Trooper Verbeist said it is common to be at the north end of the county, where we just were, when he hears about an accident at the south end of the county.

"Remember what I was telling you?" he said. I nodded.

He did say earlier there is never a dull moment. He hardly gets to drink his coffee while it's hot.

"I'll go into the mini mart at the gas station and say, 'Can I use your microwave?' "

10:38 a.m.

She got a verbal warning for following the car in front of her too close.

Now we're parked and trooper Verbeist is watching the radar. There is one on the back dash, one on the front, the meter for both in front of his eyes. Everything is ranging between the mid 60s and low 70s.

That was a brief speed trap.

A crash with injuries in Bonita Springs is priority now. We're headed south.

10:30

The lull has started. That's the traffic lull between morning and lunch rush hours.

It's nice.

During the drive, when Verbiest is not busy with accidents or warnings, there is a chance to talk, for me to get beyond the uniform and him to get beyond the laptop.

I find out he's from New York, the son of a Belgian father and a Honduran mother, that he speaks fluent Spanish and used to speak fluent Flemish, that he served in the Marines and spent time in Japan, that he has been in Southwest Florida less than a year, that he loves his job.

"I want to help make this area a better place," he said.

I told him I'm from Hawaii, that I like the challenge of my job...

...and I jinxed us.

Verbeist just pulled over a silver PT Cruiser. I am not sure for what yet. I'll find out.

10:21 a.m.

The four cars were gone by the time troopers got to the scene.

So we're continuing to go north. Verbiest is looking for a spot to set up a speed trap.

Where?

I'll never tell...

...until we leave.

10:07 a.m.

And we're back on the highway.

There's another crash, at the 122-mile marker. Trooper Verbeist is checking to find out if there are troopers already working the scene.

It's a four-vehicle crash with at least a partial road block. We are stopping there.

10:02 a.m.

This interstate so much of us depend on is the subject of big news later today.

At 2 p.m., we'll know how much it will cost to widen it from four to six lanes, from Palm Beach Boulevard in Fort Myers to Golden Gate Parkway in Naples.

Florida Department of Transportation officials are opening bids at that time for a project that they have estimated will cost $469 million. The widening work includes upgrades at two interchanges: Daniels Parkway in south Fort Myers and Immokalee Road in North Naples.

This will become the biggest road project in Southwest Florida history on its busiest road. During this time of year, the interstate carries more than 100,000 vehicles per day at its busiest stretches -- anywhere between Daniels Parkway and Immokalee Road.

I-75 is the region's primary route for commerce, travel and hurricane evacuation.

9:24 a.m.

The minor accident -- no injuries, just damage to the pick-ups -- has an interesting subplot.

The young man driving the orange pickup tried to swerve, but struck the white truck in its left rear bumper. The driver of the orange truck was cited for careless driving.

The driver in the white truck was driving with a suspended license. He was cited for driving with a suspended license unknowingly. The driver thought he had worked things out by going to traffic school, and then moved, so he never got the notice that his license was suspended.

Verbiest allowed him to call someone to come and get the truck.

8:28 a.m.

Turns out, there was a crash.

It was at the 114-mile marker in North Naples. We did not get close enough to see what happened.

Trooper Verbiest drove through the bumpy median, the turned around, waiting for a gap in traffic so he could head back north.

He found that gap.

The engine revs faster, louder, harder. We are part of the flow of northbound traffic.

Then he notices something: a crash just south of the Bonita Beach Road exit.

Verbiest exits at Beach Road then turns around to head south, toward the crash site.

The drivers were outside of their cars talking.

Now there are two crashes near each other slowing traffic. Everybody always has to look.

Apparently, there are a lot of people with boring lives. If it was not my job to pay attention to accidents, I would not. Not at all.

8:17 a.m.

Traffic has stopped on I-75, atop the overpass at Bonita Beach Road.

There does not appear to be an accident. It is likely that this is the norm at this time of year, the season, when tourists and workers are manuvering to navigate the road, the way people try to make their way through an overcrowded party

Verbiest is planning to turn around at the 115-mile marker and head back north, toward Fort Myers.

7:51 a.m.

Verbiest has pulled over a woman driving a silver Toyota Camry at the 124-mile marker. She was following too closely behind a semi-truck.

"That's dangerous," he said. "If the truck hits the brakes, she's going to get into an accident."

The zoom of the cars flying by is a constant sound.

Verbiest maintains eye contact with the car as he checks her driving record.

"She had two tickets in '03."

Failing to obey a traffic control device, which means running a red light or a stop sign. And failing to change her address.

He said he does not make a decision on whether or not to cite someone, based just on their history. He only uses it to give himself an idea of what violations they have had in the past.

He gives her a warning.

7:48 a.m.

We're on Interstate 75, about quarter to 8.

Trooper Richard Verbiest has shown us a picture of his family, his wife and two young children. He thinks about them while he is at work.

"Everyday you're out here, something bad can happen," he said. "I call it the 360 degrees look-around. You have to look around. Something can happen at anytime."

Everything is fine so far. Traffic is moving smoothly as we passed the Alico Road interchange, which is still under construction.

Much of the fog has lifted.

7:16 a.m.

The fog blurring the area implies that rush hour could be dangerous.

I am at the Denny's on Daniels Parkway, just west of Interstate 75, waiting to meet with the Florida Highway Patrol. I am ready for my day on the interstate, which will start about 7:30 this morning.

All the other drivers better be. They better put their lights on. The fog will make it harder to see other cars around them, other cars approaching, passing and joining them from one of about a dozen interstate entrance ramps in Lee and Collier counties.

I'll be back when I'm on I-75.