Oregon
After more than two decades, Oregon removes Highway 20′s ‘safety corridor’ designation
Crash charges alongside U.S. Freeway 20 in Lincoln County have fallen sufficient that the Oregon Division of Transportation has determined to take away the “security hall” designation.
In a so-called “security hall,” site visitors patrols are elevated and fines are doubled. It’s a focused strategy to decreasing site visitors crashes on troublesome stretches of freeway.
ODOT mentioned the Pioneer Mountain to Eddyville bypass, which opened in 2016, has helped contribute to decrease crash charges alongside a 12-mile part of U.S. Freeway 20 close to Toledo, OR. File picture taken in 2016.
Chris M. Lehman / KLCC
The 12-mile part of U.S. 20 east of Toledo is likely one of the oldest such corridors in Oregon, having been established in 1999. As of Dec. 6, it can be a part of an inventory of 17 different Security Corridors in Oregon which were decommissioned.
A few of these decommissioned corridors had solely been in place for 3 or 4 years earlier than crash charges improved to the purpose that ODOT determined to take away it. That wasn’t the case for the part of U.S. 20 between Toledo and Chitwood.
“We checked out taking away the security hall earlier than, and the crash price had gone again up, which doesn’t sometimes occur,” mentioned ODOT spokesperson Angela Beers-Sydel. “And so we took some extra measures, we labored with the communities, and now we really feel prefer it’s time.”
A part of the security hall noticed a serious improve in 2016 with the opening of the brand new Pioneer Mountain bypass, which changed a slim, winding century-old part of the street. Different actions included up to date warning indicators and a public schooling marketing campaign.
With the decommissioning of the hall, site visitors fines will not be doubled within the space. And the freeway will not be the situation of added state police patrols. The choice leaves simply 4 remaining ODOT-designated security corridors in Oregon, with two extra corridors designated by county governments in Lane and Marion Counties.
“Now that we’ve decommissioned this one, they’ll be taking a look at different areas which may meet the standards,” mentioned Beers-Sydel. “And we will put additional enforcement and additional indicators and construct consciousness in these areas.”