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Residents urge Anacortes to install barriers after repeated crashes at Oaks Avenue curve
Summary
Multiple residents described a series of crashes at the Oaks Avenue curve, including an Oct. 30 incident in which a vehicle struck a home. Residents and the Channel Landing HOA asked the city to install physical barriers — metal rail, ecology blocks or boulders — arguing reflective signs are insufficient.
Several residents told the City Council on Nov. 3 that the city must install physical barriers at the Oaks Avenue curve after repeated, worsening collisions.
Janine Jolley opened public comment saying she and her husband narrowly avoided tragedy after an Oct. 30 crash when an 85-year-old driver fell asleep and the vehicle struck their home. "Take a moment to imagine how it feels to have an automobile drive into your home, into your sanctuary," Jolley told the council, and said she and her family now fear for their safety.
Shauna Kitson, who lives in Channel Landing with Jolley, said her Ring camera captured a violent impact and that the location has produced a pattern of crashes: "This brings the total number of accidents at that single curve to date of 7," she said, citing incidents since Dec. 25, 2024. Kitson said reflective signage "does not prevent catastrophic events" and urged the city to "collaborate with the DOT, if needed, to install a physical barrier of sorts at this dangerous Oaks Avenue curve."
Cheryl Cheney, president of the Channel Landing HOA, told council that HOA-maintained sound-deadening fence panels cost about $3,000 each to replace and that the neighborhood has incurred roughly $40,000 in damage she knew of. David Jolley, who identified himself as a traffic attorney, estimated the Oct. 30 house damage at around $100,000 and urged the city to act.
Speakers requested several specific options: metal railing, ecology blocks, or strategically placed boulders. Commenters said they had repeatedly raised the issue with staff earlier in 2025 and asked the council to press the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) and to pursue interim measures while jurisdiction questions are resolved.
City staff at the meeting acknowledged prior communications between residents and the city engineer and noted that some elements of road control (e.g., signage) were already being considered; no formal council motion was made at the Nov. 3 meeting to fund or direct installation of a barrier.
