The improvements will include speed cushions to slow traffic on key blocks and hardened centerlines to prevent the aggressive cutting of left turns at hazardous speeds. Washington Avenue is on the City's High Injury Network, a collection of streets where the majority of serious injuries and deadly crashes take place. A total of 169 reportable crashes occurred between 2016 and 2020, with pedestrians and bicyclists overrepresented compared to the City's streets as a whole.
Speed cushions will be placed as follows:
One full set of speed cushions on the 1600 block of Washington just east of Chadwick Street
One full set of speed cushions on the 1700 block of Washington between Bouvier and Colorado Streets
Hardened centerlines mitigating factors contributing to the fatal and serious injury crash history associated with left turns at Washington Avenue and:
SB Grays Ferry Avenue
SB 25th Street
SB 24th Street
SB 23rd Street
NB 22nd Street
SB 21st Street
NB 20th Street
SB 19th Street
NB 18th Street
SB 17th Street
NB 16th Street
SB 15th Street
There is no exact date for installation but expect the changes either by the end of Fall or Spring of 2023. While we remain disappointed that the City will not move forward with the road diet a majority of neighbors preferred, it is a step in the right direction to implement these important traffic calming measures on Washington Avenue. We do not want to see another neighbor die or get injured simply walking, bicycling, or driving on the street.