Interstate 26 has been the site of more than its share of truck accidents lately. An accident last week was bad enough to inspire a Charleston County Representative to propose a change to a stretch of the interstate.

In the early hours of Aug. 10, an 18-wheeler filled with wood chips was traveling on I-26. As it neared the construction zone near the Ashley Phosphate Road exit, the truck slowed. The tractor trailer behind it did not.

The second truck slammed into the back of the first, and the cab of one exploded in flames. Both drivers escaped. They were transported to an area emergency center for treatment.

Cleaning up the accident was no easy task. Both trucks were carrying wood chips, and their cargo spilled across the highway. Emergency responders closed I-26 in both directions because of the fire. In the end, traffic was tied up for nine hours.

The county representative believes that turning one lane of traffic in each direction into a "trucks only" lane will reduce the safety risks. The stretch of I-29 between the Ashley Phosphate Road and Cosgrove Avenue exits is the main focus of the proposal.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation will have to study the plan before it makes any changes.

SCDOT has long recognized that the section of I-26 between Ashley Phosphate Road and the Mark Clark Expressway is a terrible traffic bottleneck. The construction project the truckers came upon is meant to alleviate the congestion there.

The drivers of the trucks remain in the hospital, one in good condition and the other in fair condition. Whether the trucks-only lane would have made a difference in this case is unknown.

Source: Live 5 News, "Special lane for truckers proposed for part of I-26," Harve Jacobs, Aug. 17, 2011