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Safety concerns over Pierce County, WA intersection under construction
Pierce County residents are raising alarms about a local intersection they say has become a hazard and concerns grow just as the new school year begins.
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - Pierce County residents are raising alarms about a local intersection they say has become a hazard and concerns grow just as the new school year begins.
Ongoing construction nearby has created dangerous conditions for residents, pets and families with kids, according to those neighbors. Concerns are also mounting following a pet's death and a series of near-misses in the area.
Parents fear for children's safety
Local residents are urging county officials to implement better safety measures at the intersection before someone is injured.
When Matt Leitner takes his daughter to violin practice, he has to drive through the intersection of 141st and 106th Avenue Court East, which he says has become a hazard.
"I think this whole intersection itself is extremely dangerous," said Matthew Leitner, a resident who's concerned about the intersection.
Construction of an apartment complex off of 144th Street East and a road project on 122nd Avenue East has sent detouring traffic through that uncontrolled intersection.
"It’s gotten out of control, a lot of speeding cars, a lot of cars cutting across the lane," said Matthew.
With no stop signs to follow, neighbors say traffic has been backing up and pedestrians and there have been near-misses with cyclists, pedestrians and children at what neighbors call a blind corner.
"We really anticipate something bad happening sooner or later," said Leitner.
"Cars will turn right in front of you to the left. They act like they don’t have to yield or stop," said Allen Woodlief, a resident who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years.
Neighbors offer solutions
Neighbors say they'd like to see stop signs installed and have also suggested the installation of speed humps and flashing speed limit signs. They say they even talked to Pierce County Public Works Deputy Director Brandon Smith, who came to the neighborhood to visit with residents. However, they say they were disappointed with the county's response.
"They basically say the same thing, ‘there ain’t enough traffic here, we can’t do anything about it’," said Allen Woodlief.
Leitner says the picture below shows a car cutting across lanes to make a left turn on what neighbors call a blind corner.
County officials say they are monitoring conditions
Pierce County officials said they are monitoring conditions and Pierce County Planning and Public Works Deputy Director Brandon Smith issued the following statement:
"Thank you for reaching out regarding recent traffic concerns near 122nd Avenue East and 144th Street East. We understand the community’s concerns, and our team is working diligently to ensure the safety of everyone in the area.
Pierce County is closely monitoring conditions in the affected neighborhoods during the ongoing county road project on 122nd Avenue East and the private development construction happening on 144th Street East.
The intersection of 106th Avenue Court East and 141st Street Court East was evaluated in January 2023. At the time, the study did not identify operational or safety deficiencies. Traffic volumes at that time were typical for a neighborhood intersection, and only one reported collision occurred in the preceding five years. After receiving reports of drivers cutting corners, the County installed reflective markers to help encourage lane discipline.
The current construction on 144th Street East requires a temporary detour, routing traffic onto nearby arterial roads that can handle higher volumes. These roads include 136th Street East, 122nd Avenue East, 126th Avenue East, and 152nd Street East."
Neighbors tell me that while they appreciate the county making an attempt to make some improvements, the reflectors that were installed have "ripped off", according to residents, and drivers are still speeding and cutting corners. Neighbors say the barricades that say "local traffic only" have also been pushed aside, moved or ignored by many drivers.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Jennifer Dowling.