The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has released its Top 100 Regional High-Crash Intersections list for 2018. Ranking of intersections is based on a formula that considers number of crashes, traffic volume and severity over the three-year period 2015-2017. MORPC produces the list on an annual basis to help local and regional partners better understand crash patterns that occur and help prioritize transportation safety investments.
The top ten intersections making this year’s list include:
- Dublin-Granville Road/SR 161 at Maple Canyon Drive
- Broad Street/SR 16 at James Road
- E Livingston Avenue at Hamilton Road/SR 317
- Morse Road at Karl Road
- Hillard Rom Road at Renner Road
- Frank Road/SR 104/Refugee Road at Winchester Pike
- Cleveland Avenue at Dublin-Granville Road/SR 161
- Broad Street/SR 16 at Lancaster Avenue/Reynoldsburg-New Albany Road
- E Livingston Avenue at Brice Road
- Cleveland Avenue at Innis Road
Delaware County intersections included in the list were:
- Riverside Drive at Home Road, with a daily traffic count of 14,600 and 112 total crashes from 2015 to 2017, and which had the roundabout restriped in 2018 to feature one circulating lane
- Polaris Parkway/SR 750 at S Old State Road, with a daily traffic count of 58,100 and 102 total crashes from 2015 to 2017, and with a construction project underway for intersection improvements
- Sandusky Street/US 36 at E William Street/SR 36, with a daily traffic count of 31,000 and 77 total crashes from 2015 to 2017
- Columbus Pike/US 23 at E Powell Road, with a daily traffic count of 60,000 and 85 crashes from 2015 to 2017, a 2017 Highway Safety Improvement Program study location with a safety study will to be completed in the next year, and for which a recent project added a west bound right turn lane and also a double left turn south bound (changed to protected only left turn). Additional project includes resurfacing on SR 750.
“While 13 locations have dropped off this list from last year, we are seeing that the total number of crashes across all 100 intersections has increased. Our local governments are always trying to figure out how engineering solutions can make our roadways safer, but data suggests unsafe behaviors like distracted driving, not wearing your seat belt or speeding most often lead to serious injuries or fatalities in a crash,” said MORPC Director of Planning & Environment Kerstin Carr.[widgets_on_pages id=1]
MORPC is committed to working with state and local partners to combat severe crashes through holistic lens. One example is the Local Safety Initiative, a partnership announced last year with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), to advance turnkey transportation safety services within the region. In the second year of this two-year initiative, MORPC is developing a Regional Transportation Safety Plan with key stakeholders representing engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency management systems. The plan will look to regional crash trends and local jurisdiction safety priorities to identify safety emphasis areas and locations, outline goals and individual partner responsibilities, and track progress over time in the reduction of fatal and serious injuries on Central Ohio’s transportation network. A draft plan is targeted to be available by the end of this year.
MORPC and ODOT also work with local jurisdictions to make improvements aimed at reducing fatalities and serious injuries related to angle and pedestrian crashes – two frequent and severe crash types seen in Central Ohio. Systematic safety improvements include reflective back plates and LED signal heads, as well as enhanced crosswalks and pedestrian warning signs.
In addition, MORPC maintains a Complete Streets policy that ensures projects receiving federal transportation funding through the agency accommodate all roadway users, such as bicyclists and pedestrians, and takes into consideration the impact on safety.
