Captain Tony Moran with the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office says he was headed home around 6:00 p.m. when he heard a call go out reporting a large circular saw blade was in an unbarricaded area of a construction zone on I-49 just north of Cloutierville/Derry exit. When Captain Moran arrived on the scene, he found not one, but two saw blades left upright near the center of the inner and outer lanes.
“My initial thoughts was we had to secure the area before someone would be seriously injured in a crash striking one of the blades and it was our obligation to protect the traveling public from injury,” Captain Moran told KSLA News 12.
Deputies say several road barricade signs were also down in the area.
Captain Moran and other deputies tried to remove the blades from the roadway but were unsuccessful as special tools were needed to extricate the blades.
Authorities called the Department of Transportation and Development office in Natchitoches who immediately called the private project construction site manager.
The project construction crew responded to the scene to remove the blades and put the barricades back up in the construction zone.
It is unclear exactly why the blades were left in the roadway but we’re told the project manager is investigating the incident and adds the blades should have never been left.
The scene was cleared by 7:30 p.m. and thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Deputies would like to remind motorists to drive safe in highway construction zones.
Copyright 2015 KSLA. All rights reserved.