WSP Trooper Improves SR 16 Safety One Bump At A Time

From Washington State Patrol: Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper James Oxier spearheaded a project aimed at increasing the safety of motorists traveling on eastbound State Route 16, resulting in the installation of rumble strips between Port Orchard and Gig Harbor.

The project was part of WSP’s Problem Oriented Public Safety (POPS) Projects, inspired by Trooper Oxier’s
experience investigating fatality and serious injury collisions along the four-mile stretch of road.

“The addition of rumble strips may help prevent or reduce the seriousness of future collisions,” Trooper Oxier
said.

Four miles of rumble strips were added to the right shoulder of eastbound State Route 16 between milepost 15
at Burnham Drive to milepost 19 at the Purdy Weigh Station. WSP partnered with the Washington State
Department of Transportation for the project.

There were 102 collisions along the four-mile stretch of roadway between 2007 and June 2017. Of those
collisions, 43 struck fixed objects, 12 involved impaired drivers, nine involved a driver falling asleep and four
were fatalities.

The project received WSDOT approval in August 2017. The rumble strips were installed in December 2017.

No fatality or serious injury collisions have occurred along the stretch of roadway since the rumble strip installation.

“Trooper Oxier is an outstanding example of our district’s troopers going above and beyond the call of duty,”
said WSP Captain Chris Old. “Trooper Oxier identified a way to continue our Target Zero mission of having
zero fatality or serious injury collisions on Washington’s roadways by 2030.”

District 8 serves Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties.

Image via Renee Schiavone/ Patch