HAMILTON COUNTY — 146th street is considered the most dangerous road in Hamilton County, according to data from the sheriff's office. Construction and the booming growth of the area has led to more traffic.
"It makes me very nervous,” Krista Wise, who commutes on 146th Street everyday, said. “Some people do slow down and go a little bit slower, but there are definitely people that go too fast and it puts us at risk."
Wise commutes to her job at Cloud 9 Spa and Hair Design every day. It sits just off 146th Street. She says she has noticed more traffic in the area.
"People go a little faster than they should through that intersection,” Wise said. “It makes it a little bit hard to navigate between the orange cones and the concrete."
Abby Baker is in the same boat. She says she's noticed more first responders.
"I definitely see ambulances passing through all the time,” Baker said. “Because I work at the front desk so I have the window view of all the ambulance and police I see a lot."
She's not wrong. According to crash data from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the intersections in the graphic below along 146th Street have all seen an increase in crashes this year compared to last.
2023 (Jan-Sept)
| 146th and Allisonville | 22 |
| 146th and 31 | 19 |
| 146th and Hazel Dell | 18 |
| 46th and River Road | 16 |
| 146th and Gray Road | 13 |
| 146th and Carey Road | 10 |
| 146th and Jason Road | 10 |
2022 (calendar year)
| 146th and Allisonville | 17 |
| 146th and 31 | 11 |
| 146th and Hazel Dell | 17 |
| 146th and River Road | 12 |
| 146th and Gray Road | 12 |
| 146th and Carey Road | 8 |
| 146th and Jason Road | 7 |
The Sheriff’s office made a post on their Facebook pagewarning people about the increase. They say that many of the crashes could have been prevented.
"Based on the crash reports, sometimes it's following too closely and not leaving enough distance to stop so you have a rear end crash,” Bryan Melton, with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, said. “Or someone tries to run the yellow light and they don't make it and they go through on a red. We will have crashes that way as well."
The largest number of crashes have taken place at the intersection of Allisonville Road and 146th Streets with 22 crashes so far this year, compared to 17 last year. That is also where there is a large amount of construction.
According to Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, the construction at that intersection is 30% done. It took them longer because of a drainage issue. He says the construction they are doing will make the area safer.
"There will be a major interchange there,” Heirbrandt said. “There will be no stop lights anymore and there will be free flowing traffic through there, and it will be a lot safer. That's the main purpose of why we are constructing that at this time. “
Heirbrandt says they are planning on constructing new interchanges at several of the problem intersections. The next area they plan on tackling is 146th and Hazel Dell. The pictures below are what the area could look like but they can't make it happen until the county has the funding.
"Whenever we are able to get funding to help to offset some of the construction costs on it that's when they get planned," Heirbrandt said.
We're told one reason there is more congestion and crashes on Hamilton County roads is because the area's population is still growing fast.
Right now, it has the fourth largest population of any county in the state.
