TRAFFIC ALERT: Signal pole down after 8th/Roxbury crash

12:19 PM: Thanks for the tips – avoid 8th and Roxbury, where a truck has hit the signal pole on the northeast corner. Officers are directing traffic all ways. SDOT is there evaluating how to fix this. (The truck that hit the pole isn’t in the photo – it’s further north on 8th.)

12:42 PM: Our crew talked with police at the scene. They were talking to the truck driver, though at first take it was clearly a “failed-to-negotiate-the-turn” situation. No one was hurt. We’ll check back in a while to see how repairs and traffic are going.

2:14 PM: Went back through a little while ago. 8th is closed at Henderson, on the south side. The signal is flashing red. West/east Roxbury traffic is going through, albeit a bit slowly.

5 PM: Avoid westbound Roxbury from 8th eastward. Light is flashing red; 8th is still closed north of Rox as repairs continue.

datamuse October 15, 2015 (12:40 pm)

How many crashes at that intersection are we up to, now?

westseattledood October 15, 2015 (1:00 pm)

What a good question datamuse.

I would like to know that number too. I would also be curious about the status of their (SDOT’s) initial review since they implemented all the safety measures for that intersection….what were those changes again?

Kimmy October 15, 2015 (1:02 pm)

I think with the growth of businesses and residence in the Greenbridge area, it would be great to add protected turns in all directions. Can’t know if it would have helped here, would like to see it happen, especially for those turning in either direction from 8th onto Roxbury.

datamuse October 15, 2015 (2:10 pm)

Yeah, Kimmy, harder to know without more details of what happened.
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I will say, though, that there’s no protected left when headed westbound on Roxbury, and making that turn can be hair-raising. (Particularly since traffic cresting the hill behind me tends to go fairly fast and I’ve nearly been rear-ended a couple of times.)

Julia October 15, 2015 (2:38 pm)

It’s so nice to know I can come to the WS Blog to find out “What Happened?”:)

WSB October 15, 2015 (3:03 pm)

thanks, I’m sorry (re: other comments) that we don’t have a huge amount of details but most of the time we get to the scene relatively shortly after it happened and there’s still a lot to sort out, we can only get the toplines. We’re also generally good for “what’s happening?” as well as “what happened?” :) Will be going back in a bit to look in on this again, not catching any updates via the scanner so that’s the only way we can find out how it’s going – TR

Neighbor October 15, 2015 (3:47 pm)

That intersection is so scary even to turn right at. I can see how a truck could easily mishandle the turn when going too fast to avoid being rear-ended. People need to slow down. And the city should add a warning light for the drivers coming blindly up on stopped traffic.

Sad October 15, 2015 (3:52 pm)

There was a similar area where I used to live and they ended up doing major modifications after a history of accidents and deaths. Why departments can’t take a look at potentially problem intersections, proactively, will always amaze me. Often when they have data, they still act slowly as it appears with this intersection. Why wait until someone dies. Can’t put a price on a life IMO..

datadeficit October 15, 2015 (6:13 pm)

When SDOT reached out for community input about this intersection, I recall few Greenbridge residents showed up. If squeeky wheels do not advocate for this kind of thing to the bitter end, department of transpo will not study, design or have need to explore alternative s on its own.

Squeeks get the grease.

CD October 16, 2015 (8:15 am)

People need to slow down….after they come up that hill they are flying down Roxbury. Even as they come around the corner there at Meyers Way sometimes I’m afraid they are gonna flip sideways as they go around the corner because they are driving way too fast. About a month ago I was at the red light on 8th to cross Roxbury and as the light turned green and I began to move forward (with my toddler in the back) a big, white, Caddy headed East, had to lock up their brakes and slid into the intersection just enough to make me slam my brakes because I was convinced he was going through the light…I had to pull over after the intersection to gather myself. They fly down 4th and 8th too…4th is 35mph and I swear they hit 50-60mph before they get to Roxbury.

Sorry, comment time is over.