The in basket: Several weeks ago, Laura Turner e-mailed to say the the area around Central Valley Road, McWilliams Road, 64th Street and Holland Road is a dangerous zoo, especially around school quitting time and the afternoon rush hour. She said Olympic High School students use Holland and 64th as a short cut to McWilliams.
Central Valley and McWilliams had been identified in a Kitsap Sun article a year ago as the 12th most accident prone county intersections.
“We need speed humps on Holland and a crosswalk at the minimum at Central Valley and McWilliams,” Laura said. “There are accidents at this intersection several times a year, yet the country refuses to do anything to help the local residents. Why is this? ”
I spent some time a couple of afternoons watching this intersection during the last weeks of the school year and had to tell Laura that it seemed unexceptional. Traffic was not very heavy, especially coming out 64th onto Central Valley. One school bus let off one child some distance up McWilliams. I saw one pedestrian, on a skateboard.
But since it was listed as among the county’s most accident prone, I asked county Public Works if there are any plans to make it safer. There’s no mention of it on the county’s six-year-road plan, called the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP).
The out basket: County Traffic Engineer Jeff Shea says, “Last year we proposed a project to construct a roundabout there. It did not compete well against other projects and did not make it to the TIP.
“The collision numbers at this intersection are trending down,” he said, “and indications are that it will fall well below the top ten collision intersections. In 2012 there were no reported collisions at the intersection.”
