News 12 at 11, September 23, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga. --- The view on I-20 keeps changing. The most recent change, Sunday night.

"It's a little nerve-racking with everything being so close together, and all the trucks coming by," Patricia Hubbard said.

She's talking about how the lanes have shifted between the Warren Road Bridge and River Watch Parkway. But with progress, come problems.

"It's unsafe if you're not used to it. You'll be used to going one way, you'll come on and it'll throw you off. It could cause a wreck," Trey Livingston said.

Now, drivers are driving even closer to the barricade wall.

"We're driving so close, what happens if a truck comes so close to us, and we hit the wall. What do we do?" Hubbard said.

Engineers for the I-20 widening project say although the inside lane next to the wall seems tighter and feels tighter, it's not. Both lanes are 11 feet wide. And the shifting lanes aren't the only thing new.

Deputies say drivers need to be aware of the new stop signs along I-20. This is Washington Road traffic waiting their turn to get on the Interstate.

If you're on Washington Road trying to get on I-20 West or East bound, you'll have to come to a complete stop.

"I think the biggest thing, it's unusual. Most of the time when you ride on the Interstate, you'll never see a stop sign. So it's a change, and kind of has people confused," Cpl. Russell Schaffer said.

And confusion leads to this. Cpl. Russell Schaffer has seen about 75 wrecks in the construction zones. His best advice, drive the speed limit and give yourself enough distance to merge into traffic.

There is a little good news to pass along, it'll be several months before there are any more lane changes on I-20.