Virginia State Police plan to triple the number of troopers today along a 13-mile stretch of Interstate 95 between Bells Road in South Richmond and Parham Road north of the city.

Troopers will be conducting "saturation" patrols in the so-called Highway Safety Corridor to promote traffic safety through stringent enforcement and increased visibility in an area that has a high volume of traffic and numerous interchanges.

State police said 696 crashes occurred along that stretch of interstate in 2006. Of those, 175 resulted in injuries and two in deaths. In 2007, there were 759 wrecks, of which 196 resulted in injuries and four in deaths.

During a one-day enforcement project in the corridor in November 2007, troopers issued more than 150 summonses for traffic violations.