Meetings scheduled to discuss Mattawa highway

Officials looking to curb fatal, serious collisions

MATTAWA — The number of serious and fatal accidents on and around Highway 243 has both local and state officials concerned, and have led those officials to try and find a solution.

That's why officials have decided to hold two different meetings in the area later this month. The Washington State Department of Transportation has already put up larger stop signs and intersection warning signs to make people more aware from the problem. But WSDOT traffic engineer Jennene Ring said she and Washington State Patrol officials want to from the those living along the highway on how to curb the problem.

"I'd like to have their input on what should be done," Ring said.

Both meetings will be attended by WSDOT and WSP representatives. They will first meet at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at the Desert Aire Senior Center, and again at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Mattawa Intermediate School Gym. This will be the second series of meetings about the highway this year, and Ring has since analyzed data along the highway to find out what is causing many vehicle crashes. She said driver inattention and exceeding safe speeds have often been culprits, as has drunken driving.

WSP Trooper Rich Magnussen said the meetings later this month will be all about brainstorming. WSP and WSDOT representatives are working to create a public-oriented policing project, where officials try to make drivers aware of the problems while also stepping up traffic enforcement on the road.

"Hopefully it will increase driver awareness on this highway," Magnussen said.

Magnussen said the public-oriented policing project could be the start of a roadway corridor project. One successful example Magnussen pointed to was that of nearby Highway 17, but he said to become a successful corridor project takes involvement form the community.

Manuel Ornelas is president of the Mattawa Area Chamber of Commerce, and his organization is putting on the meeting in Mattawa. He said the meeting will be translated into both English and Spanish, and will also have present a representative from the WSP's Hispanic outreach program, El Protector. To help solve the problem, Ornelas said officials need to get the word out to everyone in the Mattawa area.

"We need to reach out to the Hispanic community," Ornelas said, "We need to work as a whole community."

Ornelas said local and state officials have been working on a solution, and that's what the open meetings will be for and why a committee is being formed to look into the problem.

"Trying to prevent catastrophes that are happening here in Mattawa, that's the whole purpose of this program," Ornelas said.