Tri-Cities readers say these are the most dangerous roads. What’s being done about them?

Local

By Cory McCoy

Last week we asked Herald readers to tell us what they think are the most dangerous intersections in the Tri-Cities.

The results reflected trends seen in recent wrecks, with readers identifying intersections where there have been bad wrecks.

Readers say these are the worst:

Just last weekend, two people died in a crash at Gage and Steptoe.

While the results of the poll are not scientific, they do show Tri-Citians have a solid grasp of the most troublesome intersections.

The good news is city leaders are on the same page, and many of these dangerous intersections are already part of upcoming improvement plans.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s fatal wreck map shows most of the fatal wrecks in Franklin County from 2016 to 2020 happened on or near Interstate 182 between the Highway 12 interchange in east Pasco and Road 68.

The commission’s traffic fatality data has not yet been updated with deaths from 2021.

In those five years, Franklin County had 35 fatal wrecks — 16 of them were suspected to have involved impaired drivers.

That’s just under the state average of 55% to 61% of wrecks.

Franklin County saw an unusually high number of young drivers killed, with about 50% of the fatal wrecks involving a driver between the ages of 16 and 25, compared to the state average of around 30%.

And one-third of people killed in wrecks during that time were not wearing a seat belt, compared to the statewide rate of 1-in-5.

The city of Pasco has been taking steps to reduce the risk of violent collisions.

Its transportation master plan shows that the corridor from Sandifur Parkway, across I-182 and ending at Court Street has the highest group of congested locations in the city.

Intersections on Argent Road, Sylvester Street, and Court Street also see heavy traffic.

Pasco City Engineer Dan Ford told the Herald in an email that a project to improve safety at the Road 68 and Court Street intersection is currently underway.

He said the current configuration places more emphasis on the decision making ability of commuters in the southbound left turn lane, which has become more difficult with increasing traffic volumes. He said that can make drivers more impatient as they wait for an opening.

“The goal here is to provide a new intersection, either a roundabout or signalized, that would better control the existing and future traffic loads,” Ford said.

That project is in the design state, and the city is working to determine how it will be funded.

Ford also said that issues at Road 68 and Burden are a result of a growing number of drivers, and the city is working to determine how to best redistribute movement in the area until larger improvement projects are under way.

“We first addressed some of the residential volumes by providing an alternate route to Road 68 for motorists on the east side by connecting Wrigley (Drive),” Ford said. “This was important because it not only provided another connection, but one that was already signalized.”

“We also recently completed a signage and striping project for the westbound left turns from Burden to Road 68 that have helped that important movement and the ability for the intersection to handle the higher volumes,” he said.

The intersections of Interstate 182 and Road 100 and 182 and Road 68 are a priority for the city, with congestion during peak hours blocking access to nearby roads and intersections.

Suggested improvements for the most congested intersections are listed in the city’s transportation master plan at a cost of about $40 million, with the most expensive portion being a complete rework of the Road 68 and Interstate 182 interchange.

That estimate does not include the costs of recent proposed changes at Road 100/Broadmoor Boulevard and I-182.

That project is in the public feedback phase, and could be done in multiple pieces or as on larger project. The most expensive option is $40 million, and would see the entire interchange reworked into what is known as a Diverging Diamond Interchange.

Street extensions into the Broadmoor development are expected to begin bidding out later this year, and would see several nearby intersections reworked in 2023 as developers begin work on subdivisions and retail projects.

Other ongoing projects include the $36 million Lewis Street overpass improvements.

An overpass to extend Road 76 over I-182 to connect with Chapel Hill Boulevard has also been proposed as part of the city’s six-year transportation plan, but funding has not been secured. Ford said the Road 76 Overpass would play an important role in relieving congestion at Burden and Road 68.

In Benton County, a little more than half of the fatal wrecks were in unincorporated areas.

The majority of the deadly wrecks in Richland happened on or near George Washington Way and Highway 240.

Several others were near intersections on the Highway 240 bypass.

About half of the 73 wrecks in Benton County involved drivers believed to have been impaired.

As in Franklin County, most of the deaths from impaired driving happened outside of the cities. When it comes to unbuckled or young drivers, Benton County numbers closely aligned with state averages.

In the city of Richland, 29% of the fatal wrecks within that five year period were alcohol or drug related, which is about 20% lower than the state average.

Of the 16 motorcyclist deaths in Benton County, six were in Richland, as well as four of the 11 pedestrian deaths.

In Richland the main focus of road improvements is on George Washington Way and Highway 240 at Aaron Drive.

The city is focusing on those two, as the biggest choke points for traffic in the area. Planning already has begun, and the city is working to obtain funding for major intersection realignments.

Further down the line they hope to improve traffic flow on the 240 bypass by removing intersections with a series of underpasses and overpasses, widen the bypass going south and extend Kingsgate Way south to Keene Road.

Kennewick had more fatal wrecks that cited speeding as a factor than Richland and Pasco combined.

In the five year period, investigators said about 40% of Kennewick’s deadly wrecks involved speeding, compared to just 5% in Richland and 14% in Pasco.

One-third were alcohol related. Kennewick wrecks accounted for three motorcyclist deaths and five pedestrian deaths.

Unlike Richland and Pasco, most of the fatal wrecks in Kennewick occurred on city streets. Intersections on Clearwater Avenue and Columbia Drive each saw three fatal wrecks, but the rest were largely in residential areas.

Kennewick’s six year transportation plan includes several long-term projects, such as:

The improvements at Gage and Steptoe would also include updating the signals to eliminate staggered timing at the light.

The city also hopes to widen Columbia Center Boulevard from Deschutes Avenue to Quinault Avenue and has several phases of construction planned for Ridgeline Drive.

Local

This story was originally publishedApril 10, 2022 5:00 AM.

Crime

Crime

Cory McCoy