BARBOURSVILLE, WV (WOWK) – Construction work on any roadway can cause delays. However, on I-64 near the Huntington Mall in Barboursville, in some cases, traffic was at a standstill.

The cause of these backups was vehicle accidents. Last week on I-64 West near Exit 20, a crane went over a hill and backed up traffic for several hours.

Wednesday morning around 1 a.m. Barboursville Police responded to a call of a 4-vehicle crash on I-64 west and they had to travel west on the eastbound lane to get to it.

In addition to these two incidents, another wreck involving two vehicles near the 29th street exit closed down the right lane on I-64 East. One person was injured and had to be sent to the hospital.

First responders are used to rushing to scenes like this, but in a construction zone, they’re almost unreachable which affects response times. This is due to lanes on I-64 East and West being separated with concrete dividers leaving little space for drivers to pull over enough for emergency crews to get through.

As for the cause of the collisions, officials say it’s drivers going above the posted speed limit.

Barboursville Mayor Chris Tatum says they are policing the area, but are still seeing people rushing through the area. “Ticket books are worn out because they’re writing so many citations because people are not slowing down through that area,” Tatum says Wednesday afternoon.

As the holiday traffic is on its way, officials are encouraging anyone on the roads to be cautious, especially in areas with limited access points like construction zones.