Kent drivers will soon have to slow down from 45 to 40 mph along a 2.8-mile stretch of the Benson Highway between Southeast 236th Street and Southeast 192nd Street in an effort to cut down traffic accidents.
The Kent City Council voted Tuesday night to lower the speed limit along the heavily traveled north-south commuter route. The state Department of Transportation is expected to agree with the speed-limit change along the Benson, a state highway also known as State Route 515.
City staff expects to post new speed limit signs possibly as soon as next week, said Steve Mullen, city transportation engineering manager.
John Gehlman lives just a block from the highway near Southeast 224th Street. He has watched cars speed along the road for years.
“They may only go 45 to 50 now,” Gehlman said about the lower speed limit. “But it ought to help.”
Gehlman said he has noticed an increase in police patrols since the Panther Lake area annexed to Kent in July. The King County Sheriff’s Office used to patrol the area where Kent Police officers now roam.
“The police have cracked down a lot,” Gehlman said. “I even see them on my side street. I think a lot of drivers have slowed down already because of the police presence.”
City transportation engineers recommended the lower speed limit after the Council’s Public Works Committee asked staff to look into the issue in response to a couple of traffic fatalities and high number of accidents along the road. The street also is known as 108th Avenue Southeast and 104th Avenue Southeast.
The posted speed limit has been 45 mph since at least 1965, Mullen said. The speed limit drops to 35 mph south of Southeast 236th Street.
“There’s been a lot of change since then with more driveways and intersections that make it difficult to enter the roadway,” Mullen said. “There’s also a level of pedestrian activity and a number of bus routes. Forty mph is a more applicable speed limit now because it’s much more urbanized in nature.”
Studies by the state DOT and city staff show the 2.8-mile stretch has a higher vehicle collision rate and higher injury rate than similar highways. The roadway features two lanes in each direction and a center lane in most areas. Nearly 26,000 vehicles per day travel the road.
The section of the Benson had 280 vehicle collisions during a three-year period from October 2007 to September 2010, Mullen said. A total of 107 of those 280 were injury accidents that hurt 158 people.
“That’s a higher than average number of collisions and they were more severe,” Mullen said. “And the injury rate is significantly higher than similar roadways.”
City officials hope the lower speed brings those numbers down.
“Reducing the speed limit should help reduce the number and the severity of injuries,” Mullen said.
But it can be tough to figure out an ideal speed for a street.
“We need to give it a reasonable speed limit to get compliance,” Mullen said. “If the speed is too low, most will drive over the speed limit.”
Mullen expects drivers initially will struggle to adjust to the lower speed limit.
“It’ll take a little while,” he said. “People don’t change their driving habits readily. It’s an education process. There will be enforcement by police either through a chat or writing tickets. Sometimes, there is better compliance without a ticket. But others need a ticket as a reminder.”
Mullen said the lower speed also should make it easier for drivers trying to enter the Benson Highway from side streets or driveways.
Police already regularly patrol the Benson Highway and do not plan any special emphasis to enforce the new speed limit.
“We don’t have any scheduled (extra) enforcement,” said Lt. Pat Lowery, Kent Police spokesman. “Our thought is people will be compliant for the most part.”
Lowery said pedestrian deaths and injuries over the last couple of years along the street prompted the decision to look into lowering the speed limit.
“That stretch of the road has turns and rises and dips,” Lowery said. “The concern is to give pedestrians a safer chance to cross the road.”
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