By Paul Daquilante • Staff Writer • 

Traffic enforcement beefed up on McKay Road

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Comments

gregtompkins

I work in Aurora I refuse to take McKay Road. I take the Champoeg Road / Butteville / Arndt Road way. I really wish they had made the bypass go direct from Dayton (99 and 18) to I-5 instead of the way they did. But special interests got in the way and instead we ended up with “Death Highway.”

Sponge

Greg, not sure which “special interests got in the way”, but I do remember presentations citing environmental impact studies, land use issues, cost concerns (including right-of-way acquisition) and jurisdictional disputes, as factors leading to the decision we ended up with.

gregtompkins

Sponge , it’s this way with ALL road planning in Oregon special interests get in the way the lawyers and government workers get their huge wad of cash. Take for instance Columbia river crossing. In our local case they should re evaluate it I would put 18 going to i5 double lane it all the way to Lincoln City and put real overpasses like at Lafayette highway where it’s another death intersection.

Rotwang

I simply don't understand. The road is in good shape, well-marked, and has no sharp curves for its entire length. Dumb people are its most dangerous feature. I drive on it at least twice a month.

country97

I'm off subject but should the story read "less" rather than "fewer" than 10 miles?

Mac Native 66

Sponge and Greg, What you fail to know is that Marion County CRIED about loosing land for the by-pass and that's why the by-pass, is where it's at today. The old planing committee wanted the by-pass to take off from Hwy 18 Cruickshank Rd. and connect at Hwy 219 and McKay Rd.
Currently ODOT is in talks about putting in a Round-a-bout some-wheres on Hwy 18 like you see up in Washington county north of Forest Grove on Hwy 47. If they do, it might be at Hwy's 18 and 154 (Lafayette Hwy). ODOT is going to be putting two of those Round-a-bouts on Hwy 99W south of Rickreall, some time next year, Orrs Corner and Clow Corner Rds.

gregtompkins

Mac Native 66, What you are describing RE Marion County is exactly what I was alluding to about “special interests.” I’m a native too I grew up in this county but lived in Beaverton too for 15 years. Similarly special interests made the mess with Wilsonville Road and Dundee pitching a fit about a wide 99W: it seems so stupid that they ended the double lanes from Barbur / 99W to single @ Dundee to double to single again until McMinnville. Why does ODOT do everything so piecemeal in this state? Similarly why doesn’t Salem get with the program and put more bridges in? It’s because of having to placate to all the special interests! Punish car owners and make congestion so bad that we give in and ride bicycles and TriMet. And we end up with death highways and congestion.

myopinion

I drive this road twice a day, 5 days a week. At least once a week I have to swerve off to the side of the road, to allow someone to pass me coming head on, as they are passing the car in front of them. Its usually tractors that are getting passed. As far as extra enforcement, they must be hiding pretty good, I have yet to see ONE police car, marked or unmarked.

Tuvey

While I totally agree that slowing down and being more careful is something needed on McKay somehow we have to let people know that it's okay to do the speed limit. The signs have people so freaked out that they are going 45 instead of 55 and for someone who is tired and just wants to get home it is very frustrating to have to work so hard to not tail them. Going too slowly is just as aggravating as going too fast and that may be the cause of a few of your fatalities, people aggressively passing those who are going so very slowly (and no, I'm not someone who tailgates nor do I pass dangerously. It's just not worth it). I've watched angry people behind slow drivers and while it is an increasingly humorous show it is also very dangerous. 55 mph is an appropriate speed and seems to keep everyone steady and safe. I have also not seen any police presence in the last 2 weeks of having to take McKay. Maybe if they are seen we can get the 45 mph AND the 75 mph people under control?

gregtompkins

Wow I just came up on a bad accident on the bypass and it was closed off. Right after a harrowing ride over Rex Hill and left lane hog who also seemed like a drunk! They need to crack the whip and get some enforcement on the 99W and McKay Road mess!

David S. Wall

Whereas I am grateful for additional law enforcement (when ever and where ever we get it) I do not believe this will solve the problem.

For a short-term and reasonable fix, the placement of a removable barrier such as "concrete K-rails" along the entire length of McKay Road (turn outs excepted) should eliminate the wrecks caused by the idiots who attempt to "pass other vehicles" without the slightest care to themselves and or others.

The legislature has a couple of bills concerning "safety corridors" to address the requirement of farm-vehicles access and freedom of movement on the roadways.

Another idea I really support, is to "jack-up the bail schedules (traffic fines $2000.00-$5,000.00)" and the seizure and impound of vehicles for a few months. Paying a "daily storage charge" in a "tow-impound lot" will remove vehicles and punish the offenders quite significantly.

I routinely drive this beautiful country road and am quite lucky I have avoided some of these first-rate A**holes who try to pass and or drive at excessive speeds in an extremely unsafe manner. I no-longer drive this road at night.

David S. Wall

midstar

I am praying for a Signal Light to be put in!!! People coming OFF I-5 North or South run the Stop signs at the Truck stop exits!!! I was almost hit, Yesterday, after a work truck ran the stop sign and a big rig trying to get on I-5 South.... What a Flipping NIGHTMARE!!!! I hear ODOT will be closing our I-5 Exists to put in a bypass road, coming out of Brooks to even get into the T.A. truckstop....

gregtompkins

midstar do you need to go north or south on i5? I hate to give up my “back road to the back road” way but take a left before McKay road they will take you by Champoeg and through the little community of Butteville. If you need to go to the “east” side like OC just keep going from Arndt to Knights Bridge to Canby. If you need Wilsonville turn at Arndt/551 and that will put you on i5 north. If you need south I5 you can hang a right just before the RR tracks on Bents Road to get back over the the nightmare intersection to go South on I-5. But if you’re headed more for the Brooks area go across the ferry. They desperately need to do something about these roads in addition to stopping the lunatics. We need about 5 new bridges between south Salem and Wilsonville. But they won’t do it because they want us to be punished for having cars!

Oregonian

I travel McKay weekly. One of the most dangerous parts of the road is the Case/McKay intersection. That spot is wide open and has great visibility all around. Drivers going north on Case (from St. Paul) can see traffic on McKay and try to beat it at the intersection by getting there first. A month ago, I saw a guy in a sedan fly up to the intersection, not be able to brake in time and finally stop mid way into McKay! I was able to stop in time, but barely. There was a child in the back of the car. People are the problem here, not the road.

The issue with people crossing the median is ditracted driving. The roads are so wide open there that people think they can safely look down at their phones. They're obviously wrong.

gregtompkins

So put Jersey barriers down the middle and then what? The farm equipment couldn’t use the road?

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