Updated on: 3/12/2019
Car accidents on Aurora Avenue in Seattle are a daily occurrence. The eight mile stretch of Aurora Avenue North - also known as Highway 99 in certain areas - that runs from the Battery Street Tunnel to North 145th Street is the most dangerous section of this busy Seattle corridor. A 4.5 mile portion of the road has no traffic signals and speeds in this section average about 50mph.
According to Seattle Transportation Department records, between April 2005 and March 2008, there were 1,581 accidents on Aurora Avenue. That averages about 46 accidents per month. And between 2002 and 2006, 35 pedestrians were struck while jaywalking on Aurora Avenue North.
The Seattle Department of Transportation's (SDOT) Aurora Corridor Safety Project was developed with the goal of reducing Aurora Avenue traffic accidents by 25%.
By implementing a few key strategies the Aurora Corridor Safety Project was able to reduce collision in the corridor by 20%. Fatal and serious collisions were reduced by 18%. Strategies included a $250K investment in signs, removing clutter near signs, intersections were reconfigured to reduce rear-end collisions, increased enforcement patrols and billboards.