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TV Highway intersection gets safety upgrade

KGW Staff, April 11, 2012

An intersection considered one of the most dangerous in Oregon now has a new traffic signal to make it safer.

The traffic light was installed and activated along the Tualatin-Valley Highway at SW 178th Avenue Tuesday.  (Click here to read the full story)

ALOHA, Ore. -- An intersection considered one of the most dangerous in Oregon now has a new traffic signal to make it safer.

The traffic light was installed and activated along the Tualatin-Valley Highway at SW 178th Avenue Tuesday.

Over the past five years, nearly 100 accidents have been reported at that intersection, most of them involving pedestrians.

Two years ago, crews with the Oregon Department of Transportation installed a flashing beacon and a crosswalk at the dangerous intersection, but even that did not cut down on problems enough.

“What we’ve seen since then [since beacon was installed] is traffic has increased in the area and the problem with fender-benders has not gone down, so that’s when we decided to go to the traffic signal here,” explained ODOT spokesman Don Hamilton.

ODOT also upgraded sidewalks around the intersection to include new ramps that meet standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.