Guarding against tragedy
Traffic on Highway 200 passes a memorial for Kaitlin Lee Price-Williams, a 2-year-old from Sagle who was killed in a traffic accident in July. (Photo by KEITH KINNAIRD)
SANDPOINT — Steel guardrail will be installed on a crash-prone stretch of Highway 200 at Pack River Flats.
The move comes about three months after a young mother went off the road in a sport utility vehicle and overturned in a meander of the Pack River. Kaitlin Lee Price-Williams, a 2-year-old from Sagle, was killed in the July 11 crash east of the Idaho Club.
“Every fatality is bad, but this last fatality really captured the concerns of citizens,” said state Sen. Shawn Keough, who teamed up with state Rep. George Eskridge to lobby for the improvement.
Idaho State Police said there have been at least five fatal crashes on that segment of highway, which is part of the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway.
Local transportation officials, law officers and motorists have been pushing for the installation of barriers, but those efforts have been complicated by the route’s designation as a scenic byway and a lack of funding.
“The overriding concern was loss of life and the need to do something,” Keough said.
Citizens appealed to lawmakers for improvements and lawmakers turned to the Idaho Transportation Department, which evaluated the site and scrounged up funding for the $22,000 project.
Eskridge said about 400 feet of guardrail will be installed on the north side of the road. It will be ribbon rail instead of concrete barriers because of the scenic byway designation.
“We recognize that we need to do something on the south side of the road, too. But we wanted to something on the north side as quick as we can,” said Eskridge.
The guardrail installation was still pending on Friday afternoon, although a maintenance crew has already cut back brush and added some asphalt to accommodate the guardrail posts.
Two voices in the choir calling for the barrier were state police Trooper Jeff Jayne and Shannon Thornton, ITD’s maintenance forewoman for Bonner County.
“Shannon really pushed hard and we supported her,” said Keough.
Eskridge said Jayne, a staunch advocate for highway safety, also factored into the push to put up guardrail.
“I went and talked to him and got some of the background and some of his thoughts on the real risk out there. He was supportive and helpful,” said Eskridge.
Neither Thornton nor Jayne were immediately available for comment on Friday.
State police said Ashlee Price, 18, was westbound on the highway when she drove off the north shoulder and overcorrected. The Toyota 4Runner rolled down an embankment and landed on its top in about four feet of water.
Passersby staged a heroic effort to rescue the SUV’s occupants, which also included a 5-year-old boy.
Eskridge said guardrail would have been installed sooner if not for a lack of funding.
“It goes back to not having enough maintenance money to do everything we need to do,” he said.
A spokesperson for Kaitlin’s family said they are “gratified that something positive could come from their tragedy and that Kaitlin’s memory will be honored by saving other lives in the future.”