I did a post a few weeks ago about the most dangerous intersections in Tri-Cities and this notoriously dangerous intersection made the list  Arthur & Clearwater near Kamiakin High School.

Stacy Lee
Stacy Lee
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According to a press release by the City of Kennewick here are the new safety features:

Pedestrians at Arthur Street and Clearwater Avenue have a new tool to help cross Clearwater Avenue more safely. The City has just completed installation of a new pedestrian activated, rapid flashing beacon system at the intersection.
The new system uses a special flash pattern intended to grab drivers’ attention and get them to stop for crossing pedestrians. As always, drivers must stop for pedestrians crossing or wanting to cross at a crosswalk and the new beacon will help drivers know that pedestrians are crossing at this busy location used by many transit riders and high schoolers. The new rapid flashing beacon can be activated and used by anyone wanting to cross the street at this location. The important thing for users to remember is that they have to press the button to activate the lights and look for vehicles before trying to cross. It’s important that pedestrians pay attention and make sure that all lanes are stopped or are completely clear prior to stepping into each lane. After pressing the button, the beacons will flash for about 30 seconds in order to get traffic stopped and allow pedestrians to make their crossing.
In addition to the new pedestrian activated rapid flashing beacon, this intersection now has a raised median to help channelize the turning vehicles exiting from Arthur Street. A bus pullout was also added on Clearwater Ave. to allow transit busses to pull out of traffic when loading and unloading passengers. This should eliminate queues behind busses that block egress from Arthur Street.
This safety improvement is part of the Safe Clearwater Avenue Project and is 100% grant funded through the Washington State Department of Transportation Highway Safety Improvement Program

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