Investigation Report

Figure 1: www.usgs.
gov
Report by Andrea Ausmus, ODOT Traffic Engineer
Traffic Safety Study: HWY 47 Between Mileposts 34 and 27
Summary
A petition in response to reports of several accidents between milepost 34 and milepost 27 on HWY 47
has led to an investigation of the safety of the road design. Possible situations that could have caused
these accidents are driver error and/or road design/maintenance. I, Andrea Ausmus, have taken the
lead on examining this situation and am preparing this report for the Oregon Department of
Transportation’s (ODOT) regional manager of Willamette Valley and North Coast, Sonny Chickering
Introduction
Over the last 3 years, there have been several accidents that have happened on the stretch of HWY 47
between Yamhill and Gaston Oregon. These accidents have been minor fender benders to accidents that
result in the loss of life. According to our reports, the accidents have reduced by half from 2011 leading
to the belief that there is nothing wrong with this stretch of highway. However, with the recent petition
from the community that lives and drives along this highway, there has been a need to investigate safety
for those that use this resource.
As the traffic engineer for this stretch of roadway, I am taking the opportunity to investigate this request
and look for potential issues that may warrant a change in road maintenance or a total change. To
provide the best service possible I will consider police data and road quality to come to a decision on the
pieces of responsibility that lie on ODOT.
Investigation
For my investigation, I focused on two aspects: driver error and road design/maintenance. For this, I
began by looking at ODOT’s data for the number of accidents. I also accessed Oregon State Police’s
(OSP) patrol map to pair with our data.
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Accident Reports
Our data proved to be less than concerning as the number Table 1: Data of Accidents per Year
of accidents halved in the period of six years while Annual (see Appendix)
Daily Traffic (ADT) increased. With more vehicles on the
Year # of ADT
roadway, there were fewer accidents.
Accidents
This data also included portions of the roadway not in the 2016 4 8349
petition. To be thorough I also accessed Oregon State 2015 3 8224
Police’s database to look at the frequency of accidents they 2014 4 5949
have processed. 2013 10 7147
2012 8 6773
2011 8 6673
According to OSP’s map, there were significantly more
accidents present on this stretch of highway that could be
inferred from ODOT’s data.
Figure 2: Crashes
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Driver Error
As with any report of this type, it is necessary to look at the conditions of the driver’s involved in these
accidents. The following figures show the maps from OSP data specific to drivers who were ticketed for
speed, lane safety, and impaired driving.
Figure 3: Speed Infractions
Figure 4: Impaired Driving Infractions
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Figure 5: Lane Safety Infractions
The previous figures show that the is quite a bit of activity that is specifically driver error or driver fault.
In the last three years there have been 148 charges in response to speeding along this portion of HWY
47 (Figure 3), 12 charges for distracted driving (Figure 4), and 106 charges for lane safety (Figure 5).
These are three of the five options for the “Fatal 5” driving behaviors that often result in potentially
deadly crashes. According to OSP, the “Fatal 5” are Speed, Occupant safety, Lane safety, Impaired
driving, and Distracted driving. There were negligible numbers listed for the final two options: Occupant
Safety and Distracted Driving.
The accident report does not match up to the numbers of infractions. Also, the number of accidents
reported by OSP does not mirror what we at ODOT are reporting thus I will continue with any
information about roadway maintenance or design.
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Road Quality/Maintenance
Visual Inspection
Looking at the roadway visually, there are issues with road
deterioration (Figure 6). I believe there is a need for road repair for
this stretch of HWY 47 within the next maintenance cycle.
From the inspections, I have found that there is a reason to move

forward with typical maintenance and road repair. If there continue
to be issues with the material degrade in the future ODOT should
complete a study on the strata of soil below the road to check for
moisture as it can significantly weaken the support strength of the
materials, especially in the subgrade (Adlinge, p. 10). If the Figure 6: (2018)
subgrade fails, there will not be enough support for the traffic flow https://goo.gl/maps/uVLZtV9XcZB2
on the road surface.
Cracking
As the cracks shown in Figure 6 are longitudinal in nature there is a
need to check for load-induced slippage and may not be solved by a
typical crack repair and rather applying a new subgrade to support
the weight of the traffic (Adlinge, p. 12). This is the likely cause as
the traffic has increased by 26% as shown in Table 1.
Safety Markings and Signage

Current striping is appropriate for the safety requirements of the
roadway. One of the corners brought forth in the petition (Figure 7)
shows the appropriate striping. There are no road signs for advisory Figure 7: (2018)
https://goo.gl/maps/DCcXcAS56n32
speed. This may be a concern, a study for advisory speed for this
corner should be performed to ensure safety.
Petition
As for location of concern (Figure 8) presented in the petition I was
unable to find any indication that there would be any increased
danger due to road design. However, the shoulders between the
mileposts are not providing space in case of emergency, farm
equipment and/or bicycles. A study for the procurement of
easement for a safety shoulder should be performed.
Conclusion
The roadway has a typical level of disrepair and ODOT should pursue
Figure 8: (2018)
the research into an increase to the width of the shoulder to https://goo.gl/maps/UaehDHhj9512
accommodate traffic types that are on the roadway. In response to
the petition, the largest safety risk lay on driver’s error, especially in respect to driver’s speed and lane
safety.
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Recommendations
In my opinion, I feel that the following changes should be made to the portion of the roadway in
question.
• Take measurements of roadway cracks to ensure that there is no significant change leading to a
need to address subgrade issues.
• Look at the corner addressed in Figure 7. This corner may need a posted advisory speed to assist
drivers in safe driving.
• Address the shoulder width with a traffic study to see if an increase in width would be beneficial
for the vehicle size and usage.
To address petition concerns there does not seem to be a direct relation of roadway design to an
increase in accidents. The largest concern is driver error and a lack of safety when driving on the
roadway.
Andrea Ausmus
Andrea Ausmus
ODOT, Traffic Engineer

January 20, 2019
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Citations
Adlinge, S. S., & Gupta, A. K. (2013). Pavement deterioration and its causes. International Journal of
Innovative Research and Development, 2(4), 437-450.
Monthly Patrol Activities. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2019, from

https://www.oregon.gov/osp/Pages/patrolmap.aspx
Ness, R. (2012). 2011 State Highway Crash Rate Tables(United States, Oregon Department of
Transportation, Transportation Data Section Crash Analysis and Reporting Unit). OR:
Transportation Data Section Crash Analysis and Reporting Unit.
Transportation Data Section Crash Analysis and Reporting Unit
Transportation Data Section Crash Analysis and Reporting Unit
Page | 7
Figures/Tables
Figure 1: ODOT logo (n.d.) Retrieved January 19, 2019, from

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/oregon-department-transportation-logo
public domain
Figure 2: Monthly Patrol Activities. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2019, from
crashes 1/3/2016 - 12/31/2018
speed 1/3/2016 - 12/31/2018
impaired driving 1/3/2016 - 12/31/2018
lane safety 1/3/2016 - 12/31/2018
Figure 6: https://goo.gl/maps/uVLZtV9XcZB2
Figure 7: https://goo.gl/maps/DCcXcAS56n32
Figure 8: https://goo.gl/maps/UaehDHhj9512
Figure 9: 2011 ODOT Crash Data (Ness, 2012, p. 105)
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Appendix: Complete Data from State Highway Crash Rate Tables (2011-2016)
Figure 9: 2011 ODOT Crash Data
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Figure 1: www.usgs.

Report by Andrea Ausmus, ODOT Traffic Engineer

Traffic Safety Study: HWY 47 Between Mileposts 34 and 27

Figure 3: Speed Infractions

Figure 4: Impaired Driving Infractions

From the inspections, I have found that there is a reason to move

on the road surface.

Safety Markings and Signage

ODOT, Traffic Engineer

Monthly Patrol Activities. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2019, from

Figure 1: ODOT logo (n.d.) Retrieved January 19, 2019, from

crashes 1/3/2016 - 12/31/2018

speed 1/3/2016 - 12/31/2018

impaired driving 1/3/2016 - 12/31/2018

lane safety 1/3/2016 - 12/31/2018

Figure 9: 2011 ODOT Crash Data (Ness, 2012, p. 105)

Figure 10: 2012 ODOT Crash Data (Ness, 2013, p. 105)

Figure 11: 2013 ODOT Crash Data (Ness, 2014, p. 105)

Figure 12: 2014 ODOT Crash Data (Ness, 2016, p. 104)

Figure 13: 2015 ODOT Crash Data (Ness, 2017, p. 107)

Figure 14: 2016 ODOT Crash Data (Ness, 2018, p. 107)

Figure 9: 2011 ODOT Crash Data

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