Car crashes abound on Scenic Drive in Modesto, and ‘friction course’ may be solution

Stanislaus County’s project to put a permanent safety barrier next to a building on Scenic Drive served to draw attention this week to traffic hazards on this busy Modesto street.

Starting Monday, construction of the safety barrier, designed to keep cars from hitting the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services building near the former county hospital, will result in temporary lane closures on eastbound Scenic, just east of Bodem Street.

By most accounts, the problem with Scenic Drive is that it’s “slippery when wet.” Last April, a car taking a curve too fast spun out of control, struck the curb on the south side of the road and then “skateboarded” on top of a temporary barrier next to the BHRS building, according to a Modesto Bee report.

Luckily, the rear of the car came to rest on metal bars next to the barrier. The driver was not injured, and no employees or clients were hurt inside the county building, situated only 8 feet from the street.

Modesto police provided some data on traffic accidents on that curvy section of Scenic that skirts the cemeteries.

Last year, police were sent on 61 calls for service for traffic collisions on Scenic, between Bodem Street and Coffee Road. That was more than one accident per week, with several vehicles crashing into the walls protecting the cemeteries.

The highest number of accidents was 66 in 2014, almost triple the number in 2011. Scenic had 59 traffic accidents in 2015, 39 in 2013 and 41 in 2012.

The Bee’s archives are filled with reports about car crashes on Scenic, some involving fatalities and serious injuries. In 2010, a Modesto police car was virtually torn in half in a collision with another vehicle.

The common denominator is rain and a slick road surface.

City Engineer Vickey Dion said that Modesto has plans for a 700-foot “friction course” on the curve east of Bodem Street. The coarse surface should help tires grip the road as drivers negotiate the bend, and it should prevent spinouts.

The $175,000 friction course most likely will be constructed in spring 2018.

Dion said friction courses are supposed to be effective in reducing vehicle accidents, and “this seems like a perfect location for it.”

Hills Ferry bridge

The public can look at plans for a retrofit of the River Road-and-San Joaquin River bridge at a meeting Jan. 26 in Newman. The span in southwestern Stanislaus County is known to West Siders as the Hills Ferry Bridge.

County Public Works officials will discuss the plans at the 6 p.m. meeting in the Newman community room, at 1200 Main St. Participants can view exhibits, hear a presentation and ask questions.

Engineering studies have concluded the bridge, built in the 1960s, could suffer serious damage or collapse in a major earthquake. Environmental work is being done on the bridge retrofit, with construction slated to begin in 2020. More information is available from a project hotline at 209-464-4350.

Comments on the project can be sent to the Public Outreach Coordinator, San Joaquin River Bridge at Hills Ferry, P.O. Box 4436, Stockton, 95204.

This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Car crashes abound on Scenic Drive in Modesto, and ‘friction course’ may be solution."