Traffic safety analysis inspires debate about the culprit (drivers or engineers?) on the least safe stretch of road in the Buckeye State.
"An analysis of the latest federal fatal traffic crash data found that a portion of Interstate 71 in Columbus ranked as the deadliest 5-mile stretch of roadway in Ohio during a three-year period," reports Eric Lagatta.
Lagatta is sharing findings from analysis by MoneyGeek of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. The study analyzed "data on fatal crashes between 2017 and 2019 and found that 10 fatal crashes occurred on I-71 between 11th Avenue to the south and Morse Road to the north — the most for any 5-mile stretch in the state," explains Lagatta.
The Ohio Department of Transportation in August completed the "South Side Mega Fix" widening project on a seven-mile stretch of I-71 between Interstate-70 and Stringtown Road—located to the south of the five-mile stretch identified by the MoneyGeek analysis.
In a follow up article to the coverage by Lagatta, Theodore Decker put the study's findings to the test [paywall] by driving the stretch on a continuous loop in heaby rain, "exiting repeatedly at 11th Avenue on the south and Morse Road on the north, only to merge right back on the freeway and the loop over."
While Decker reports numerous bad driving behaviors, the article also sets up Ohio Department of Transportation officials with a case to widen the freeway, like it did to the south, to relieve bottlenecks and congestion. "On deadly stretch of I-71, the road may be getting a bad rap," reads the headline, and Decker assigns blame for the poor safety record of the freeway to drivers speeding and driving recklessly in poor weather conditions: "I-71 between 11th and Morse has its share of design problems, and ODOT needs to fix them. But the fact of the matter is this: The deaths on that stretch often were the result of individuals making bad choices. And those individuals were not the civil engineers."
FULL STORY: Five-mile stretch of Interstate-71 in Columbus ranks as deadliest in Ohio, analysis finds
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
The Paradox of American Housing
How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities
Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.