Olympia to improve Fones Road crossing where man was struck and killed in 2018
A lot of people use the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail that runs between Olympia and Lacey.
In 2018, a state Department of Transportation counter on the trail counted more than 33,000 pedestrians and more than 75,000 cyclists, Andrew Beagle, transportation engineering supervisor for Olympia Public Works, wrote in an email when The Olympian requested data on use.
That counter is positioned a quarter-mile east of where the trail crosses Fones Road Southeast. Combine heavy foot and bicycle traffic with industrial and commercial activity that brings freight and other vehicles to Fones Road, and that area is bustling.
The crossing that ushers trail users across the road looks “not too much different from your average crossing,” Beagle told The Olympian, aside from a few extra safety features.
There’s signage near the crossing to remind drivers to stop for those who use the trail and there are markings on the road — called “stop bars,” Beagle says — in both directions. There’s also a “refuge island” where pedestrians can pause before going all the way across.
But soon it’ll have a new feature: Public Works is installing flashing beacons and planning for more comprehensive improvements to the corridor in the next few years.
The area has become a priority for Public Works, and it has caught the attention of Olympia Police.
The police department has sent a traffic enforcement team to the area at least twice in the last six months, Lt. Paul Lower told The Olympian, to look out for close calls and vehicles not yielding to pedestrians or bicyclists. Traffic enforcement is mostly about education, he said, not necessarily about handing out tickets.
“We have focused specifically on that crosswalk there, because we have heard from people that bike and walk and use (the trail) that, often, cars aren’t recognizing they’re there,” Lower said.
In a few instances, it’s been more than just a close call.
The location’s “repeat crash history” is part of the reason the crossing is a priority for Public Works, Beagle told The Olympian. The department is aware of three crashes involving a pedestrian or bike and a vehicle at the crossing between 2014 and 2018.
One incident resulted in Ron Warren’s death in December 2018.
Warren, 79, was struck by a car and killed at that crossing early in the morning, according to The Olympian’s archives. At the time, his friend Caren Barnes told The Olympian that Warren tried to walk 10 miles per day — some in the morning, some in the evening.
While the planned improvements aren’t directly related to Warren’s death, they might prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
Trail users will be able to activate flashing beacons by pushing a button. Three beacons and yellow trail-crossing signs will be mounted on freestanding poles, Beagle wrote, one on each side of the road and one on the traffic island.
“That’s going to help out,” Lt. Lower said. “That’s great that they’re going to do that. That trail is heavily used and the more that the city and the more that we all recognize what we can do to help folks travel safely, the better.”
Crews started getting the foundations for poles ready last Wednesday, and Beagle said he anticipates the beacons will be up and running ahead of the planned finish date of Feb. 7.
“It’s a way to at least do some additional, more immediate treatment, rather than wait for the larger project,” Beagle said.
In the future, the beacons will likely be relocated during a comprehensive, $16 million project planned for 2022-23 on the stretch of Fones Road between 18th Avenue Southeast and Pacific Avenue.
That project is expected to enhance the crossing, upgrade utilities, pave the road, and add a roundabout, lane modifications, bike lanes, sidewalks, landscaping, and lighting.
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