Highway 20 @ 229
ODOT officials say they are deeply saddened by the death Tamara Wagner whose pickup was mauled by a detached logging trailer earlier this week at the junction of Highways 20 and 229. But they claim it is the first fatality at that intersection in about twenty years. Therefore the intersection is operating as it should and there is no need for any changes or upgrades.
NewsLincolnCounty.com has been called and e-mailed by a number of local residents wondering why ODOT can’t lower the speed limit to 35 mph through there, or straighten out the intersection’s rather strange geometric alignment. ODOT’s Public Information Officer Rick Little said that despite the tragedy and peoples’ concerns, the intersection does not warrant changes or upgrades based on data collected over the years about crashes at that intersection.
Little told NewsLincolnCounty.com that all crashes and fatals statewide are carefully analyzed by ODOT engineers. He said if incidents rise to a certain threshold, they consider putting an intersection or stretch of highway on a priority upgrade list. Little said after ODOT put a set of overhanging flashing safety lights across the 20/229 intersection in 1993, in the opinion of their engineers, that made the intersection sufficiently safe for the motoring public.
When asked whether heavier truck traffic using a dramatically upgraded Highway 20 between Newport and the Willamette Valley might merit another look, Little said ODOT engineers have analyzed expected traffic levels and load sizes once the new road is open. And what they found was that the increase will be limited to multi-trailer rigs. But they add, that there will be very few of them. Little said nearly all regular sized trucks are already certified to drive Highway 20.
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I negotiate this intersection every day commuting to my job in Newport, and I don’t care what ODOT thinks, it’ dangerous. I’ve had numerous close calls there over the years when I’ve either not seen a car or truck coming or underestimated its speed. At an absolute minimum, ODOT should install some “rumble strips” like the ones in the westbound lane near Eddyville to encourage folks to slow down. The posted speed limit is 45, but almost nobody pays attention, and we can’t have a cop there 24/7.
Mark Camara
Toledo City Councilor
Mark Camara is absolutely right. The intersection is a nightmare. People are not slowing down to the posted 45 MPH. Rumble strips, or better yet, a traffic light would help with the ongoing safety issues there. Perhaps ODOT’s Rick Little should talk to Tamara Wagner’s family and feel their heartbreak. One death is too many. There should not be a statistical “quota” to make safety a priority.
Honestly i believe there needs to be a light at that intersection.
Rumble strips? How unique an idea! And so inexspensive! For Mr. Little to point out that this is the first fatality at the intersection of Hwy 20 and Hwy 229 in twenty years shows why everyone considers ODOT ‘s handling, or failure to handle, the danger zone that runs from the west on Hwy 20 just west of the entrance to Dahl Disposal to just east of the Hwy 229 Junction to be wrong. Negotiating this zone is a horror story daily for so many Toledo and Siletz citizens. How often do we hear others, or we ourselve, tell a story about barely missing being in an accident in this danger zone?
We don’t need to wait for another “twenty years” to know as daily users of this danger zone that something needs to be done before there are more accidents. The increased traffic alone should tel ODOT’s Mr. Little this! Mr. Little owes all of us an apology for dismissing Tamara Wagner’s death by traffic accident as somehow excuseable because the last time there was such an accident was twenty years ago!
does anyone know if there were any citations issued?
Of course there should be a statistical quota of crashes to spend a million dollars on a road project. Road projects cost money, and I’m sure there’s not enough money to fix every problem on thousands of miles of state highways; Oregon’s not rolling in the dough right now. How else should they prioritize?
rumble strips, stop lights, overpass? please………slow down daily communters dont be in such a rush look both ways twice i do, be aware of the uneducated idiots and you will be fine
In my opinion, it is time for a full-blown Stoplight at this intersection…. maybe Odot, Toledo, Siletz, and possibly the Tribe could pull together and pay the costs of having one installed?
Our elected officials are in office to work for us…and I think it is about time they start working for US. I encourage everyone who reads this to contact our county commissioners, state representatives, and senators. They have the power to force ODOT to put a light there. And yes we can raise money to have one put in. It has been done in other cities. It’s about time we as community members who use this intersection on a daily basis to come together to create a solution to the problem. The wreck happened right in front of me and it worries me that my wife, friends or myself will be next.
I found ODOts Traffic Signal Policy and Guidelines at http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/TRAFFIC-ROADWAY
Below is an excerpt from the Traffic Signal Approval Process. I believe that the 229/20 intersection meets several of these elements.
At a minimum, the following elements should be included:
Traffic volumes
Traffic signal warrants analysis
Conceptual traffic signal design
Safety analysis
Operational analysis
Documentation of Transportation Plan consistency
Evidence of other agency support
Application for State Highway approach
Let’s not jump on Rick Little over this. He’s just the messenger. Not many people are that callous as to pass this off as a minor event. I don’t know Rick, and I doubt he’s that callous, somebody else makes those desicions, and they probably don’t go through that intersection most days on the way to and from work. Somebody else needs to be reckoned with. They’re not too hard to find. It’s way past time that something be done to make this intersection area safer. I’d like to know how ODOT has analysed the situation and considered it “safe”. I doubt that has been done. If so, where’s the data?
I’m not done here. I just started.
Sincerely,
Steven A. Kupillas
As a survivor of a crash at the hwy 20 and 229 intersection, I do believe that this is one of the most dangerous intersections on the coast. It amazes me that things like this death trap wont get fixed until more people die. Its not just ODOT either, its every DOT out there. Instead of waiting for someone to get killed, lets take some action and get it fixed.
If you do, I will buy you more shovels to lean on guys!!!
#1 I drive a low profile vehicle on Hwys 229 & 20 daily. It is not possible for me to see through most larger vehicles in the opposite turn lanes from southbound 229. I cannot see to proceed east, west,or directly across the intersection. I have to wait for the other lane to clear in order to judge whether I can proceed safely. Hmmm, wassn’t that the same direction that the little silver car was driving?
#2 I would like ODOT to explain their reasoning behind deciding safety improvements are not needed at this intersection because not enough people have died. That is an absolutely outrageous statement.
#3 The way the intersection is designed, one might assume that the posted speed is appropriate for that particular intersection…which it is not. Those of us that drive HWY 20 & 229 daily know that more often than not, speeds at this intersection are often 10 to 15 mph higher than the posted speed. It appears that ODOT is making their decisions based on the fact that drivers actually obey traffic rules.
If the public is telling ODOT that the intersection is not safe, and ODOT is saying it is not dangerous enough….it may be time for more than talk…
This link is to ODOT’s website page with links to it’s social networking sites…
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/social_media.shtml
..and this it the contact us page….
Some of our offices are relocating. For current mailing addresses and locations statewide, click on one of the links below or call (503) 986-4000.
ODOT Director Matthew Garrett
Phone: (888) 275-6368
Communications Division
Administrator Patrick Cooney
Phone: (888) 275-6368
Media Contacts
Public Records request (pdf)
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Ask ODOT
Phone: 888-275-6368
Fax: 503-986-3432
ASK ODOT
Enjoy
So Mark what you are saying is that you dont remember coming to that intersecton the day before? why cant you judge speed if you do it everyday? i pulled up to it the other day that i havent in a long time and knew when it was safe to enter hwy 20 if thats such a big hazard to you take western loop and enter from there. i enter that hwy going west everyday and its not bad at all. i say when you get 50 years or older you take a dmv test every 5 years after that. what i think is you should have rumble strips installed when you leave your driveway you know that every mile you drive you are the safest driver out there….i dont get it. i say traffic light in place would be a great thing but you have to come up with the money the state is strapped for cash……take donations on the street corners Do something beside bash on O.D.O.T. its not them get it!