Clatsop County launches Safe Streets planning process after federal grant; targets lane departures and nighttime crashes

Clatsop County staff and consultants outlined a yearlong Safe Streets for All transportation safety planning process on Aug. 27, presenting early crash data and the task force’s draft vision statement.

The county received a federal grant to develop a transportation safety action plan and hired DKS Associates to support a data-driven process, Terry Hendricks, Clatsop County public works director, told the Board of Commissioners. Bart of DKS said the plan’s goals are to save lives, guide future investments and position the county to obtain additional funding.

The presentation summarized five priority emphasis areas the task force identified from five years of crash data: roadway and lane departures, nighttime crashes, risky behaviors (including alcohol/drugs and speeding), pedestrian protection and corridor-specific hotspots. DKS highlighted that about 650 crashes occur annually on all roadway jurisdictions across the county, with an average of 37 resulting in serious injury and 11 in fatalities.

“Lane departure is happening in 57 percent of Clatsop County’s serious injuries and fatalities, compared with 41 percent statewide,” Bart said, citing the county’s analysis. He also noted that crashes involving alcohol or drugs accounted for roughly 36 percent of serious/fatal crashes in the county versus about 14 percent statewide.

Commissioners and task force members discussed next steps for narrowing high-priority corridors and selecting performance measures. Bart said the county will return to the task force in December to refine corridors and again in spring to collect public feedback on specific strategies; the final plan and a monitoring program are expected in fall 2026.

Several commissioners asked for committee transparency and opportunities for commissioner participation. Commissioner Thompson urged involvement, calling the work “literally life and death,” and said she wanted to be notified of task force meetings so she could attend. The consultant and staff said they are coordinating in-person and online public outreach, including a public survey, a comment map on the project website and in-person booths planned at community events through October.

County staff and DKS said the plan will produce a high-injury network and a prioritized menu of strategies ranging from low-cost signage to higher-cost capital improvements and partner-funded projects. It will also recommend performance metrics to monitor outcomes; those measures have not yet been selected but could track reductions in lane-departure crashes or alcohol-involved crashes.

Health and trauma professionals on the board praised the approach and noted limits in crash reporting. One participant with trauma care experience told commissioners that crash data can undercount incidents because minor collisions (including many wildlife strikes) sometimes go unreported, and urged the county to seek supplemental records and community input to capture near misses.

Staff urged residents to review the project website and use the comment map to flag specific locations of concern; public comment for this phase is open through Oct. 10. The county will collect and integrate data and community feedback to build a monitoring and implementation strategy tied to funding opportunities.

The county’s task force includes representatives from local jurisdictions, law enforcement, emergency response, school districts and other stakeholders; staff said membership and meeting schedules will be posted online.

The board did not take a formal vote on the plan on Aug. 27; staff said they will return with the draft plan for adoption in about a year.