First year of U.S. 199 safety corridor shows speed top citation
 Oregon State Police patrol Redwood Highway in Josephine County
May 27, 2021
For more information, contact Gary Leaming, 541-621-3074; OSP Lt. Stephanie Bigman, 541-955-6984
GRANTS PASS – Redwood Highway drivers will again see increased traffic patrols through the Memorial Day weekend — especially in a seven mile safety corridor— as a reminder to drive defensively and avoid risky driving behavior.
Since January 1, 2021, three people have been killed in Redwood Highway crashes; eight people were killed on the highway in 2020.
From May 2020, the first month of the U.S. 199 Safety Corridor, through the end of April 2021, OSP made 3,525 traffic stops from Grants Pass to the California border. In the seven mile safety corridor between Cave Junction and Selma, state troopers made nearly 300 traffic stops. More than 100 speeding tickets were given with fines doubled. Driving while suspended and no insurance accounted for 146 citations.
Oregon State Police will again boost patrols on Redwood Highway this summer, beginning Memorial Day weekend, to remind motorists to drive defensively.
“This is just a slice of what we see every day on Redwood Highway,” said OSP Lt. Stephanie Bigman. “We’re asking that you please drive responsibly: wear your seatbelt, drive the speed limit, and don’t drive drunk, drugged or distracted. Experience shows you can’t afford to make a mistake on this highway.”
The goal of the safety corridor is to encourage people to drive carefully and raise awareness of the safety risks associated with these common errors:
- Driving too fast for conditions.
- Following too close and making improper lane changes.
- Failing to decrease speed for slow-moving vehicles.
"This holiday weekend we urge drivers to be focused and aware," said ODOT Interim District Manger Jeremiah Griffin. "Our families live here, so we urge others to drive like their families live here too."
The Illinois Valley community, including the U.S. 199 Safety Corridor Stakeholder group, requested the safety corridor. Members of the group include law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, state and county road authorities and community members.
Many of those local members are on ODOT’s U.S. 199 Corridor Plan. When complete, and as funds are available, it will guide future highway safety improvement projects. The effort’s next virtual meeting is June 17.
ODOT safety projects in the near future include constructing a pedestrian/bicycle bridge over Holton Creek in Kerby in 2022. In 2023, a 'clear zone' project is scheduled that will remove obstacles from the highway shoulder. Many of the corridor crashes involved drivers running off the road and striking a fixed object such as a tree. The project will remove trees and either add or lengthen existing guardrail sections to provide an additional margin of safety. ##
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