Public works: McKay–Yergan–Ellen safety corridor linked to drop in serious crashes

Lonnie Radke, public works project lead for Marion County, told the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 28 that work on the McKay–Yergan–Ellen safety corridor has included centerline rumble strips, wider striping, pavement legends, larger reflective signs, vegetation removal, additional reflectors on guardrail, some intersection lighting, speed-feedback signs and an intersection conflict-warning system.

"We saw a reduction from 12 fatal and serious injury crashes in those 4 years to 5," Radke said, presenting crash-data slides that compared the four years before the corridor designation with the four years after. He emphasized that the county’s decline ran opposite statewide trends shown on the same slides.

Radke credited close collaboration with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, operations staff and the county board, and he thanked staff members by name for operational work. He also said the county secured approximately $3,000,000 in ARPA funding for a safety-median project and that a roundabout at Ellen and Butteville Road is currently being designed.

Carl Lund, a public works engineer, said staff are studying Silverton and Cordon Road as a potential second safety corridor and that early wins on the first corridor came largely from low-cost, quick-to-implement treatments. "We can make big impacts, quickly if we are careful and understand what the patterns are and address those patterns," Lund said.

Sergeant Mark Fair of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office described his office’s role in the traffic-safety team since 2022 and said enforcement efforts — including targeted patrols and cooperation with public works — have supported the corridor work.

Radke and Lund said future steps include more detailed crash-pattern analysis, community engagement to understand local concerns and the pursuit of funding for higher-cost treatments. The presentation noted state legislative changes (a pilot under House Bill 3213 and later permanent legislation cited in the presentation) that permit counties to establish safety corridors and allow up to two corridors per county.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation but recognized the work and presented staff with an award from the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors for legislative advocacy and collaboration.