Study and modify trouble areas
SPOKANE VALLEY - Assistant Engineer with Planning and Grants Dan Baker spoke about the grant opportunities available to the city for their City Safety Program.
He said this funding is made available by the United States Department of Transportation through their Highway Safety Improvement Program.
Baker said the funding is offered every two years, and that a total of $35 million is available for spot location or systemic projects.
There is also $1,000,000 available to help fund traffic analytics.
“This program takes a look at crash records from the Department of Transportation database,” Baker said. “
Baker said the spot improvements focus on areas that have been singled out and known to have traffic issues, such as the Sprague and Barker Roundabout.
According to Baker that project was funded by this same program four years ago.
He also said over the past several years the systemic project funding has helped pay for smaller projects that are spread across the city. Things like the yellow rectangles at crosswalks, and improvements to stop signs.
The traffic analytics are a new part to the funding program according to Engineering Manager Adam Jackson.
“Traffic analytics, that’s brand new this year,” Jackson said. “Not every crash is recorded, and the police don’t show up to every crash.”
Jackson said “near-miss” crashes aren’t recorded either, but it still points to a possible problematic area.
“The traffic analytics opportunity is new where we set up cameras and take video,” Jackson said. “We can pull out data that shows where crashes could occur.”
The objectives that come with this are that the city will be able to analyze crash data and the roadway network they have. Baker said it will also help identify countermeasures to address any focal areas.
The study will evaluate crashes that happened from 2018 to 2022, and according to Baker there were a total of 5,508 crashes.
127 of those crashes had serious injuries reported, while 34 crashes were fatal.
Of the more serious crashes, 38 were “Angle T” crashes where one vehicle crashes right into the broadside of another vehicle. Pedestrians were struck in 30 crashes.
Baker said that potential improvements for areas that have a high number of “Angle T” crashes include improvements to stop/yield areas. They can also reduce speed limits in those areas, install roundabouts, or even place some compliance cameras.
Some potential roundabouts are included in the city’s six-year transportation plan. Four identified areas for possible roundabouts include the intersection of S Barker Rd. and E 8th Ave, S Barker Rd and 4th Ave, State Route 27 at E 16th, S Pines Rd, and E Mirabeau Parkway and E Mansfield.
Video analytics are proposed for many of those same areas.
Councilman Ben Wick asked if all of the proposed intersections would be a realistic expectation.
Jackson said the state invites entities to include as many potential projects as possible, but they rarely get approval for all of them.
He said out of the $35 million available, they are lucky to get one or two million dollars for project funding.
“They invite as many project allocations as possible,” Jackson said. “To support that, the application is relatively straightforward.”
“We would apply for all of these, and we’d be lucky to get two.”
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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