The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has issued a commercial vehicle travel restriction for a construction zone that has proved to be crash-prone.

The truck ban goes into effect on Wednesday, September 15 along I-95 northbound from I-495 to north of the Brandywine River Bridge in Wilmington. DelDOT says that signage informing drivers of the ban is in approaching the I-95/I-495 northbound split.

This restriction will remain in place until the construction project is complete, DelDOT says.

The restriction doesn’t apply to southbound I-95 because of “multiple access points and difficulty enforcing the restriction,” but officials strongly urge truck drivers to use I-495 as an alternate.

Officials opted to put the truck restrictions in place due to a growing number of crashes involving commercial vehicles.

“Since the beginning of the I-95 rehabilitation project there have been nearly two dozen crashes involving tractor trailers in the construction zone,” said Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski. “While the tractor trailer operators are not always at fault in these incidents, these crashes have shut down the roadway for lengthy periods of time and this is an additional step we are taking to increase safety in this construction zone.”

Construction on the $200 million I-95 “Restore the Corridor” project began in February 2021. The project includes the repair of 19 bridges, I-95 pavement, and ramps and is expected to last through fall 2023.