The Louisiana Department of Transportation is looking into adding “better grip” to a notoriously dangerous interchange near Shreveport after two recent semi truck crashes. 

The first of the most recent accidents happened on Wednesday, April 23rd at about 1:15 p.m. at the eastbound Interstate 220 and Interstate 49 interchange near Shreveport, Louisiana. 

According to KSLA 12, the semi truck wrecked on a damp, foggy morning and almost slid off the notoriously dangerous interchange ramp. The rig came to a stop with the cab partially hanging off of the road. The truck driver had to be pulled from the truck, but no injuries were reported. 

The second most recent accident happened on Thursday, April 24th at around 10 p.m. That semi truck was heading west on I-220 at the I-49 interchange when it veered off of the road and collided with a concrete wall. That crash was described as “severe,” and the truck driver died in the accident. The cause of the accident has not been released, reported KSLA 12.

Officials say that multiple wrecks occurred in the area every week, and that particular stretch of road sees accidents all the time, especially in wet weather. Now, LaDOT says that they will go through crash reports for the area to determine what possible solutions to the problem could be. Officials say one solution may involve increasing friction in the area, potentially through High Friction Surface Treatments. 

“That’s going to allow motorist tires to better grip the pavement through that area, particularly, when it rains. And we hope that we’ll see an impact of positive impact in terms of the number of crashes through that area,” said Erin Buchanan with LaDOTD.