Photos by Dan Kohler Vehicles are pictured this week on Route 60 in the town of Pomfret. From Jan. 1, 2018, to Aug. 31, 2021, there were 1,314 reported vehicle crashes along Route 60, a north-south running state road that connects the county’s two lone cities.

A proposal by the New York state Department of Transportation to widen a portion of Route 60 in the north county is just the latest attempt to make one of the most traveled roads in Chautauqua County safer.

Efforts come as Route 60 has averaged about 355 vehicle crashes a year for the last four years, though numbers trended downward the last two. Of those crashes, from Jan. 1, 2018, to Aug. 31, 2021, more than 390 have resulted in reported injuries.

A closer look at the data — in an analysis by The Post-Journal and OBSERVER newspapers and with the assistance of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Sheriff’s Association — reveals several interesting facts regarding the mishaps along Route 60, a north-south running state road that connects the county’s two lone cities. Among them:

¯ Nearly 50% of the crashes on Route 60 from 2018 to 2021 occurred during “rush hours,” specifically 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. From 6 to 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. to noon also saw higher crash rates.

¯ More crashes have been reported during the weekday, with 34% occurring Thursdays and Fridays.

¯ The most common contributing factors are animal’s actions (12%), driver inattention (11%), and following too closely (11%). Other factors cited include failure to yield the right of way, unsafe speed, unsafe lane change, improper turn and slippery pavement.

¯ Crashes tend to cluster near the county’s two cities and along the intersections of major roads.

“The vast majority of the crashes appear to be occurring during rush hour on weekdays,” said Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone, who helped provide the nearly four years worth of statistics with the assistance of Heather Ipsen, a crash analyst liaison with the state Sheriff’s Association. “While this is not surprising it should serve as a notice for those operating on Route 60 to exercise more care during these hours. Motorist should allow for increased travel times thus removing the need to rush.”

Recent plans have called for the construction of a two-way center left-turn lane on Route 60, from Route 83 to Route 20 in the town of Pomfret, along with the re-establishment of roadside ditches and drainage pipes. The project was discussed during an informational session hosted by the state Department of Transportation at Fredonia Village Hall in January.

“The project aims to improve highway operation and enhance safety along Route 60 and reduce the number of crashes by widening the road to accommodate a center, two-way left-turn lane,” the state DOT said in a two-page brochure handed out during the January informational session. “The new lane will provide safe refuge for left-turning vehicles and provide a buffer between opposing travel lanes.”

Design approval for the widening project was expected this month, with construction tentatively slated to begin in September 2022 and completion by December 2023.

“I do believe that the addition of passing lanes … could assist in lowering the number of crashes that do occur,” Quattrone said. “It is still critical that motorists properly utilize the new lanes and stay aware of other vehicles.”

As part of the project, the state analyzed recent crash data on Route 60, between routes 20 and 83, where the proposed turning lane will be. Susan Surdej with the state Department of Transportation said crash rates on linear sections of Route 60 — where there are no intersections with major roads — were below the statewide average while rates at intersections were above the statewide average for “similar facilities.”

“That is why constructing the proposed continuous, two-way left turn lane should greatly reduce the accidents at intersections, as turning traffic would be removed from through travel lanes,” Surdej said.

Data from the four years studied certainly backs that up. The most crashes, 389, were reported on Route 60 from January 2018 to August 2021 in the city of Jamestown while 190 were reported in Dunkirk and 62 just south of Fredonia. From there, the most occurred at major intersections: 41 crashes on Route 60 at Sinclair Drive in Sinclairville; 40 at Route 60 and the interchange with Interstate 86 just north of Jamestown; 32 at Route 60 and Route 380 in Kimball Stand; and 31 at Route 60 at Bard Road in Cassadaga.

As part of a $4 million project completed recently, two half-mile passing lanes were added on Route 60 in the towns of Gerry and Charlotte.

“I think it’s been needed,” Rick Heath, Gerry town supervisor, said in a September 2019 interview when the passing lanes were in development. “It wasn’t too long ago that the speed limit was reduced from 55 mph to 45 mph in a spot north of Gerry. That seems to be helping with traffic coming into Gerry. … I do think that passing lanes are definitely going to help.”

Information provided by Ipsen shows that crashes have dipped the last two years, which may be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and many would-be drivers working remotely. There were 394 total reported vehicle crashes in 2018; 404 in 2019; 300 in 2020; and 216 through Aug. 31, 2021, with a pace of 324 for the entire year. Two of the crashes, one in 2018 and 2020, resulted in fatality.

Quattrone said Route 60 has been a focus area for law enforcement because of its high vehicle accident rate. He said driver inattention plays a large role for many of those crashes.

“It seems that too many drivers are impatient and are not paying attention to their surroundings,” he said.

What can drivers do to make themselves safer? “Practicing safe driving tactics such as maintaining proper speed, maintaining proper distance between vehicles and removing distractions from the driver will assist greatly in reducing the number of crashes,” the sheriff said.