Ogden installs low‑cost median islands and secondary stop signs after years of angle crashes

Ogden City traffic staff said a low‑cost geometric treatment installed at a high‑crash local intersection has sharply reduced crash frequency and eliminated personal‑injury collisions in the post‑installation period.

Why it matters: The treatment is a lower‑cost alternative to a traffic signal or a roundabout and could be replicable at similar local intersections where drivers miss or do not observe advance stop signs.

Traffic engineer Daniel Gillies told the committee he studied an East Central Ogden intersection on 20 Third and Monroe that recorded 94 crashes from 2010 through 2022, about 6.27 crashes per year. He said 48 percent of those crashes involved some injury and that the majority were angle collisions taking place in dry, clear daytime conditions — suggesting a visual or environmental cue problem rather than weather.

Gillies said, “It suddenly dawned on me … the roads all started to look exactly the same. I thought, well, clearly, something needs to change here. How do we create a situation where there's a visual cue to a motorist that this is indeed Monroe? You are here.” He reviewed standard options (traffic signal, roundabout) but noted a signal would cost about $1.5 million and a roundabout more because of adjacent homes and constrained right‑of‑way.

Instead, Gillies said the city installed a snow‑plow‑friendly center median at the stop bar that carries a second stop sign on the left side of the approach, consistent with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). He described the installation as low cost — between $15,000 and $20,000 — and said city crews took advantage of a concurrent storm‑drain project to add the medians with limited incremental cost.

Gillies presented three‑year comparison data. For the three‑year post‑installation reporting window (installation in 2023, report through May 27, 2025), he said there were five crashes at the treated intersection — about 1.67 per year — and zero personal‑injury crashes. He told the committee that of the five crashes, two were angle collisions and two involved vehicles striking signs; he judged the remaining crash atypical.

Gillies said the treatment achieved his primary goals: improved compliance with stopping and reduced injury collisions. He also described maintenance and operational lessons learned. Some vehicles towing trailers have clipped the medians when making left turns; anchor posts on UDOT‑standard signposts have protected signs from permanent damage but do require periodic bolt replacement. To improve nighttime conspicuity for left‑turning drivers, the city added supplemental object‑marker and keep‑right signs oriented for the turning movement and has considered additional pavement markings.

Gillies said the design at 20 Third used a 50‑foot turn radius, which some large or towed combinations cannot easily follow; he said the city may adjust geometry where practical. He reported the city is installing a similar median at 20 First Street and will monitor results; if successful, the treatment would be extended to other non‑signalized stop intersections including 20 Seventh and 20 Ninth.

Discussion only: The presentation was informational; the committee commended the approach and had no formal action. Kip [last name not specified], a committee member, congratulated Gillies and asked about reflective tape; Gillies said the city prefers an object marker to show the correct side to pass and that reflective materials might identify the object but not the desired travel side.

Ending: Gillies framed the treatment as a pragmatic, lower‑cost approach that reduced injuries and may be appropriate for other local wide‑throat intersections where advance notice of a stop is not sufficiently visible.