S moke S ignals
APRIL 15, 2015
9
Highway 18 safety corridor status ends
By Nicole Montesano
Yamhill Valley News-Register
Nineteen years after establishing
a safety corridor along a wreck-
strewn stretch of Highway 18
between McMinnville and Grand
Ronde, the Oregon Department
of Transportation has decommis-
sioned it.
At the time the corridor was es-
tablished, in August 1996, the high-
way was one of the most notorious
in the state for crashes resulting in
deaths or serious injuries.
But ODOT announced in mid-
March, “The average crash rate for
the entire corridor has been below
the statewide average for similar
roads for the last five years and no
longer qualifies under the program.
As of March 31, all safety corridor
signs will be taken down and the
safety corridor designation will no
longer be in effect.”
The safety corridor was one of
six remaining statewide. It ran
from Fire Hall Road, west of Grand
Ronde at milepost 20.7, to South-
west Sauter Road, west of McMin-
nville at milepost 38.4.
Most of the safety corridor was
under the jurisdiction of either the
Sheridan Fire District or Willami-
na’s West Valley Fire District.
West Valley Public Information
Officer Connie Crawford Lain
said her district doesn’t believe
the decommissioning will make a
significant difference. The concrete
median barriers installed by the
state to prevent drivers from cross-
ing into oncoming traffic, she said,
were the most significant factor in
reducing the mayhem.
“We have seen a huge decrease
in fatalities since they put the bar-
ricade up,” she said. “It has made
an amazing difference. We just are
not seeing the horrific fatalities we
were before the barricade went up.
Calling it a safety corridor, we’re
kind of ambivalent about because
to us the major improvement has
been that barrier.”
However, she said the depart-
ment is hoping the state will now
turn its attention to two other prob-
lem areas – Wallace Bridge and the
highway’s intersection with Grand
Ronde Road.
“We are still seeing significant,
serious accidents in those spots,”
she said.
According to ODOT, the local cor-
ridor is the 14th decommissioning
since the program began in 1989.
Safety corridors are decommis-
sioned when the fatal and serious
Housing installs stop
signs, changes speed limit
The Grand Ronde Housing Department has installed two new stop
signs near the welcome center, as well as changed the speed limit
in Tribal housing from 35 mph to 25 mph.
For more information, contact Homeownership Coordinator Vicki
Jones at 503-879-1465. n
Ad created by George Valdez
injury crash rate is reduced to the
statewide average or below for sim-
ilar roadways.
“This is good news for motorists,”
said Nicole Charlson, a traffic safe-
ty coordinator with ODOT. “Traffic
safety has improved significantly
on that stretch of highway.”
Charlson said ODOT has worked
closely with Polk and Yamhill
counties, Spirit Mountain Casi-
no, the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde, area citizens and
other jurisdictions to make the
corridor safer over the years. She
said increased police enforcement,
engineering and construction im-
provements and increased public
awareness all played a role.
The Tribe covered the $2.5 million
cost of a grade-separated intersec-
tion at Spirit Mountain Casino. The
state installed centerline rumble
strips to reduce crossover and side-
swipe crashes, developed a new Fort
Hill interchange, added concrete
median barriers along a stretch at
Fort Hill, redesigned the intersec-
tion at Red Prairie Road, created a
number of new no-passing zones and
provided additional signage.
“It has been our experience that
fatal and serious injury crash rates
do not increase after a safety corri-
dor is decommissioned,” Charlson
said, adding that ODOT is plan-
ning additional physical upgrades,
including addition of a left-turn
refuge at Christiansen Road and
closure of the western connection
to Caleb Payne Road. n
A longer version of this story
appeared in the March 20 Yamhill
County News-Register. Reprinted
with permission.
GRAND RONDE GAMING
COMMISSION POSITIONS
The Grand Ronde Gaming Commission is seeking applications to fill
one commission position starting June 2015 and expiring June 2018.
The Tribal Gaming Ordinance requires this position to be filled by a
Tribal member.
The Grand Ronde Gaming Commission regulates all gaming-related
activities associated with Spirit Mountain Casino.
Applicants must be at least 21 years of age. Commissioners may not
hold elective or managerial Tribal positions, and may not be employed
in or own any interest in or gamble in a gaming operation authorized
by the Tribal Gaming Ordinance. Commissioners are independent
contractors and expend approximately 30-40 hours per month to fulfill
their responsibilities. The commission generally meets on the second
and third Fridays of each month. Appointment is contingent upon
successful completion of a background investigation.
Applications may be obtained by calling Kathy Doane at 503-879-
2393 or by e-mail at kathy.doane@grandronde.org.
Closing date is April 30, 2015, at 5 p.m. For more information about
the Gaming Commission, please visit our webpage at www.grandron-
degaming.org. n