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Residents urge action after multiple fatal crashes on SR 395; county administrator to send letter requesting emphasis patrols
Summary
Residents told Franklin County commissioners about repeated fatal crashes on state Route 395 near Crestlock Road and asked for changes; Administrator Danzel said he will draft a letter asking the Washington State Patrol for emphasis patrols and circulate it to the board and legislators.
Several residents urged Franklin County commissioners to press the state for safety improvements at a stretch of state Route 395 where they said multiple fatal crashes have occurred. Alice Sorrell said that in 2023 there were "two crashes causing three deaths" at an intersection near the Country Mercantile and that August and September 2024 brought additional fatal collisions. She said she had contacted Washington State Department of Transportation staff and was told right- and left-turn acceleration lanes were added in 2020 and lane adjustments were made in 2024.
"I wanted to at least make a comment that if you have an opportunity to keep this intersection in mind when you are seeking state funding for the county," Alice Sorrell said, asking the board to advocate for further changes. Local residents who spoke also recommended lower speed limits, additional signage and flashing lights; Josiah Johnson, who lives on East Vineyard Drive, said acceleration lanes helped but that speed remains a problem, and student Connor Johnson said there are no flashing warning lights for the intersection used by school commuters.
Administrator Danzel said the county will act to amplify residents' concerns. "I'd like to write a letter on behalf of this board to the Washington State Patrol to ask for emphasis patrols in that area," he said, and added he would draft a letter for circulation next week for correspondence to local and state legislators. Danzel also explained limits on securing large infrastructure projects without state budget allocations but said targeted actions such as patrols and advocacy can be pursued quickly.
The board did not adopt any binding traffic-engineering changes at the meeting; Danzel asked staff to pursue a specific follow-up about the intersection discussed and present options to the commissioners in a future agenda item. Residents were encouraged to write to state legislators and WSDOT so the county can forward constituent input along with its correspondence.
