Whittaker Road deaths: Safety improvements considered
There have been four deaths in car accidents over the past four years near the intersection of Whittaker and Merritt roads.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Whittaker Road between Textile Road and Martz Roads is a tightly winding, narrow corridor lined with large old trees accented by multiple blind intersections.
The roughly quarter-mile stretch of Whittaker between Martz and Paint Creek Road now has seen four traffic fatalities over about four years.
Looking south on Whittaker Road just north of the intersection with Merritt Road.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
That only includes accidents that were reported to police.
Most recently, 38-year-old Ypsilanti Township resident James Edward Wright Jr. died April 3 after crashing into a tree while driving a box truck south on Whittaker Road at 7:30 a.m. The man crossed the centerline and slammed into a tree. Police said there was no indication Wright hit the brakes before the crash.
The tree Wright hit was right next to a tree where two Ypsilanti Township cousins were killed in a one-vehicle head-on crash in April 2009. Sixteen-year-old Caitlyn Varney was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash and her 24-year-old cousin Jessica Varney died a day later. At the time, police said lack of seat belt use was a factor.
Around 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 22, 18-year-old Tyler Cummings was killed and another driver was injured in a two-vehicle head-on collision. The Cummings, of Ypsilanti Township, were driving south on Whittaker Road at a high speed when his vehicle crossed the centerline near Merritt Road and struck another vehicle head-on, police said.
Now, officials are looking at what can be done to make the road safer.
Roy Townsend, director of the Washtenaw County Road Commission, said the agency is planning to install a roundabout at the Merritt and Whittaker intersection in either 2016 or 2017. Merritt crosses Whittaker at a sharp, blind curve in the road.
He said the agency also is planning to remove around four large trees that sit near the road’s edge, including two involved in the deaths.Townsend explained fixed objects like trees lead to greater damage, which is why guardrails aren’t a good solution.
The Road Commission also is planning a safety audit to see if more signage or road markings are needed.
But Townsend said he doesn’t believe the road in that area is dangerous or behind the accidents there. Human error often is the cause, he said.
“I think it’s more random,” Townsend said. “Obviously we are going to look at (the road). But a lot of times it is random.
“Or is it a driver error? Why weren’t people paying attention at that location? Maybe they didn’t hit the brakes. Was there a medical condition? Was it related to the road? Sometimes you need to step back and find out, and that’s what police agencies look at - were they a distracted driver on a cellphone or texting?”
Sheriff’s office spokesman Derrick Jackson said accident investigators told him many of the accidents in that area are single-car accidents that involved excessive speed, intoxication or other driver errors.
“It’s not necessarily just the road,” Jackson said, but he added the conditions there likely exacerbate the situation. He said there aren't many sections of roads in the township that see this high volume of accidents, though Hewitt Road near Valley Drive also has been problematic.
Townsend said the Road Commission will receive federal funds for the roundabout, and he is hopeful Merritt Road to the east of Whittaker will be paved by developers. Several developers planned large developments that stalled when the economy went south.
New housing starts in the vicinity have increased in recent months and new development is expected to bloom as the economy picks back up in the coming years. That only will add to pressure on Whittaker Road.
Concerns over the road also prompted a discussion among trustees at the April 8 Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees meeting.
Police investigate a fatal accident April 3 in Ypsilanti Township. One man died when the box truck he was driving hit a tree.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com
Trustee Scott Martin said he plans to discuss the township’s concerns with some of the road commissioners. He pointed out that the curves are only a mile north of Lincoln High School and the stretch sees heavy student and bus traffic.
“I hope to at least let them know our concerns and see what we can do as fast as we can, before any more accidents occur,” Martin said after the meeting.
Trustee Stan Eldridge lives in the area and says he regularly receives complaints about the road from neighbors. Some will take a detour as much as two miles out of their way to avoid the Whittaker and Merritt intersection, he said.
Eldridge worked as a city of Ypsilanti police officer and specialized in reconstructing serious accidents. He said he doesn’t know the details of all the accidents on Whittaker, but he suspects that the nature of the road plays a significant role.
He also said he hopes to make the road safer sooner rather than later.
“We need to look at it again and see if there’s anything we can do,” he said. “And if there isn’t anything, then we’ve done our due diligence. If there is something we can do, then we need to find a way to make it a reality. If it’s a funding issue how do we get around that barrier?
“I just want to make sure we’re doing everything we can. If there’s a plan to do something in 2016, I think that’s outstanding, but is there a way we can move it forward?”
Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter. Contact the AnnArbor.com news desk at news@annarbor.com.
Comments
jennbby24
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 1:36 a.m.
Little Patience, I am the sister of one of the girls in the accident in April and my father was able to retrieve most if not all of the memorials for them:)
dading dont delete me bro
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 10:05 p.m.
they missdd cutting a tree about 20' north of the 3 that were cut, on the same side of the road just as close to the shoulder. #smh
dading dont delete me bro
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 10:58 p.m.
make that about 60' and there are trees still up with orange x at the base.
Green Acres
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 9:18 p.m.
The road is already curved. Trees are hard. Traffic volumes are likley to increase and drivers appear to be increasingly distracted. Memorials are distractions too. I go out of my way to avoid that stretch of road. The folks waiting to pounce onto Whittaker from Merritt use crazy judgment. Y'all can have it! I'll take the roundabout at Merritt as the Best Possible Solution, especially since many of us think Stop signs don't apply to us within a mile or two of our home or when we pull out of our subdivisions. I was driving north on Hitchingham this morning approaching a green light at Merritt. A west-bound driver on Merritt executed a turn onto north-bound Hitchingham at normal speed. Completely ran the red light. So much for Hitchingham being a safer detour than Whittaker Rd. The driver then flew through the East Arbor / Arbor Prep school zone at double the speed limit before only to come to a halt at the six-car-deep stop sign at Textile Rd. sigh
dading dont delete me bro
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 7:19 p.m.
some trees are being cut down as we read and comment on this story. fact
Little Patience
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 7:51 p.m.
Yup, just drove by there and they are gone. I wonder how the families will feel about their memorials just being left on the shoulder of the road.
Cash
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 7:29 p.m.
Good job, Cub Reporter, Dading.
Cash
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 6:08 p.m.
Also....how about building out a real shoulder to the road? If: 1. The shoulder was built out between Merritt and Martz 2. Rumble strips were put in the road's edge and center line 3. Cable-type barriers were put on the outside of the new shoulders Maybe that section would be safer. Regardless, I think a bunch of posters here should be on the Road Commission. Common sense trumps denial and excuses any day.
1959Viking
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 5:11 p.m.
Roy Townsend said he doesn't believe the road in that area is dangerous or behind the accidents there. Human error often is the cause, he said. If there is driver error consistently at the same point in the road. Doesn't it follow that the road is a contributing factor?
Little Patience
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 4:31 p.m.
The speed limit can be reduced all they want. It won't matter unless the speeds are actually enforced. Not a lot of people slow down for the school zone (during those hours/days). I've never seen police in that area, and I drive through it 4x/day, usually with someone on my bumper or passing me.
Brad PTA
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 3:29 p.m.
I live on Martz Rd and drive this area of road daily. It is obvious that it is a dangerous area in all weather, day and night. Changing the speed limit will not make any difference at all, the limit is now 45 mph and people regularly add 10-15 mph over that. Making it 35 won't change that. The only changes that I feel will make a difference would be to: 1) straighten that stretch of road, 2) install a full traffic signal that requires stopping, not a flashing yellow or 3) a round-a-bout (but curtain people would need lessons on how to use it). Adding a triffic signal is probably the least favorable choice, I can just see people trying to make a yellow light at that intersection!
Frank Lee
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 2:36 p.m.
I travel this stretch of road multiple times daily. The immediate area of the Whittaker road where the tees are located has a narrow shoulder followed by a drastic drop off. It's in the middle of a curve and northbound traffic that exits the roadway there has no chance of correction. The trees need to be cut down, shoulder extended, and a guardrail installed. This is needed regardless of the roundabout construction. The guardrail would push vehicles back onto the roadway and prevent them from entering the woods, not absorb a head on (fixed object) collision as the article implies. The roundabout should correct all other problems associated with the intersection and southbound Whittaker traffic. The installation of the roundabout should be expedited. Ypsilanti Township was going to lend The City of Ypsilanti $352,000 to repave Grove but now is not. They should have the money to expedite the installation of this roundabout and either wait on the payment of federal funds or use them elsewhere. While I'm on a rant, finish paving either Bemis or Merritt between Hitchingham and Stoney Creek. That will relieve pressure on roads in the immediate area that receive a lot of travel from both public and private schools located nearby.
Tammy Mayrend
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 12:05 p.m.
@jdmb03 a traffic light at Textile and Whittaker, with the one at Textile and Stoney Creek, would be a logistical nightmare. That intersection should have never been paved. I thought I had read that a round-about was planned for that location, but then nothing happened. I have seen what appears to be subdivision markers for Whittaker/Bemis. If that is indeed a potentially new subdivision, the area is in for more growth in the coming years and further traffic issues.
jdmb03
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 12:45 a.m.
Whittaker Rd. and Martz Rd. need more attention from the Sheriff's office. I see cars going well over the speed limit and riding bumpers. Martz Rd. is filled with school children waiting for the bus. I agree with your rant. I would take Bemis or Merritt to work everyday just so I don't have to deal with the new charter school traffic, Hitchingham has become a nightmare. And how about a regular traffic light at Textile and Hitchingham.
Brad PTA
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 3:30 p.m.
Dead on comment Frank!
Jim H
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 2:21 p.m.
A series of blind curves on a crowned road, crossed by an angled intersection with a different height road which is the major access for a very large subdivision. Count the tire tracks to find out how many people leave the road. Straighten the road and intersection, don't put a roundabout on a blind s-turn. The property is available to do it right. I've been driving this for 25 years, deadly in all weather conditions.
Cash
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 2:06 p.m.
I have driven Whittaker Rd since part of it was a gravel road back in day. It has always had some nasty curves. The curves have been re-engineered a bit since then. But...it has NOT always carried the amount of traffic it carries today with all of the urban sprawl. Most of the area south of Textile, now home to thousands of township residents, was farmland. Also the subdivision streets cutting into Whittaker Rd were a bad idea. Township/County should have required that the subdivision streets when constructed be routed to Merritt Rd....then the roundabout would actually help. Poor planning on the part of the township. 3 streets in such a short distance... with traffic turning in and traffic turning out, left and right....very distracting on a curved wooded part of the road. As that can't change now....why not put cable barrier like they used on the xways where they remove the large trees? It's not a solid barrier but it would get attention when someone hits it. Or would that just create more head-ons. I don't know.
tdw
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 2:05 p.m.
Poor driving habits aside too many people have been killed there.SOMETHING needs to be done, even if saves just one life
Nicholas Urfe
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 1:54 p.m.
"Sheriff's office spokesman Derrick Jackson said accident investigators told him many of the accidents in that area are single-car accidents that involved excessive speed, intoxication or other driver errors." Don't remove old trees because some people speed and refuse to wear seat belts. Those people will still speed and refuse to wear seat belts.
walker101
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 12:40 p.m.
I guess slowing down is out of the question?
Ignatz
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 1:26 p.m.
So is paying attention to conditions.
glimmertwin
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 12:36 p.m.
>> Now, officials are looking at what can be done to make the road safer. Duh
TommyJ
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 12:35 p.m.
If the powers that be don't think that road is intrinsically dangerous then they are kidding themselves. It's a tight curve there, and the speed limit is too high at that point as well. Where the trees are that people have died hitting, there is also a drop off in the ditch on the side of the road. So even taking the trees out, that curve is still going to be dangerous with the drop off. Then you have the Merritt road intersection there, where folks coming off of Merritt turning north on to Whittaker can't see the south bound traffic on Whittaker because of the curve. It's all a big recipe for disaster. People don't continue to have accidents there solely because of negligent driving. It's a dangerous area. A round about would slow things down there, yes. But lowering the speed limit there, as well as a rumble strip down the middle of the road where the lane markers are would be a big step as well. IMO the officials quoted in this article are in denial and trying to pass the buck on addressing the problems at that intersection.
Tammy Mayrend
Tue, Apr 16, 2013 : 11:56 a.m.
Stopping Whitaker Road traffic with a sign, while it could back up traffic, would be another option. If you are on Merrit you have a stop sign, so why not make it a 4-way stop until the round-about goes in?
dexterreader
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 11:56 a.m.
I drive this stretch of road fairly often. The curve just north of the intersection with Merritt Road is tight and can be a challenge at 45mph if one is not paying close attention or is unfamiliar with the road. I agree that the speed on that curve should probably be 35mph. That is the only area I feel is problematic in the entire stretch of roadway from Textile to Willis. A reduced speed would help with the curve and with drivers turning onto or pulling out from Merritt Road.
RedGerm
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 4:20 p.m.
I drive that particular stretch of road on a daily basis. I don't think that the current speed limit of 45 MPH is the primary issue. Distracted driving (using a cell phone, eating, drinking, even conversations with other passengers is a bigger problem).
Billy
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 12:05 p.m.
"I agree that the speed on that curve should probably be 35mph." Is there a yellow sign indicating the curve ahead has a recommended speed limit? If not, it should probably have one for that curve.
OLDTIMER3
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 11:45 a.m.
It appears to me that the truck in the picture is on the wrong side of road. How do you have a single car headon collision?
PrevoTownie
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 3:20 p.m.
"The man crossed the centerline and slammed into a tree."
Ignatz
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
Oldtimer, I think the truck is on the correct side. Look at the room between the driver's side and the rest of the road as compared to the other side of the truck.
TommyJ
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 12:36 p.m.
When you run off the road and collide headon with the trees on the opposite side of the road.
Tom Todd
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 11:08 a.m.
speed limit for a stretch should 35mph
evenyoubrutus
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 6:29 p.m.
I usually go about 40 along that stretch and I get people tail-gating me all the time, and sometimes even trying to pass me. I'm in my twenties and not a slow driver at all, but that is insane.
average joe
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 4:41 p.m.
I may be wrong, but I believe it was 35 mph through that stretch about 30 years ago.
Billy
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 10:40 a.m.
"Whittaker Road between Textile Road and Martz Roads is a tightly winding, narrow corridor lined with large old trees accented by multiple blind intersections." I don't think that description is very accurate.
1959Viking
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 5:15 p.m.
I drive it four times a day, I think it is pretty accurate.
dading dont delete me bro
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 10:24 a.m.
oh, and 2016 is 3 years away...let's see, with the current stats, that could mean 3 more deadly accidents?
dading dont delete me bro
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 10:22 a.m.
human error...? isn't a reason of increasing safety to take 'human error' out of the equation?!?
Billy
Mon, Apr 15, 2013 : 10:46 a.m.
The best way of doing that would be to make licensing more restrictive. There are a LOT of bad drivers on the road because we allow them to be. Getting your driver's license should require some kind of fast reaction "twitch" test. People who react slowly to things should NEVER EVER EVER EVER be allowed to drive. That is a plain and simple safety consideration for ALL OF US. Yeah that's not fair...but neither is putting the lives of others at rick for a personal convenience.