YARNELL, AZ — The community has been a driving force for safety changes on an Arizona roadway. Residents in Yarnell packed a public meeting last September after a 74-year-old woman was hit and killed by a Yavapai County Sheriff's deputy while crossing the street.
On Tuesday, another meeting was held by the Arizona Department of Transportation to go over the safety changes they have made and what they hope to do in the future.
It was scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Yarnell Community located at 22302 AZ-89, Yarnell, AZ 85362.
Since the last meeting, ADOT looked into five years of crash history from 2017 to 2021 on a two-mile stretch of SR 89. They found there were 23 crashes with 16 of them being single-vehicle wrecks.
They also looked at behavior in the area and found many pedestrians cross this area to get to all the local businesses. Many will also stop in their vehicles to drop off mail at the post office. Another observation was that drivers were seen passing other vehicles on the four-lane lane section of the highway.
During Tuesday's meeting, ADOT decided to change S.R. 89 in Yarnell from a four-lane section into a three-lane roadway.
They will remove some parking spaces and install pedestrian curb extensions and islands.
ADOT said they hope it will eliminate passing and reduce speed differentials between drivers.
To view the full report and recommendations, click here.
As for what changes residents can actually see right now, ADOT has added additional pedestrian crossing signs that are more reflective so drivers can see them both during the day and at night.
YCSO Sheriff David Rhodes also revealed Tuesday that the deputy who killed Donna Gordon had returned to the department after a DPS investigation cleared him.
Have a road issue or a question? Call 833-AZ-ROADS or email roads@abc15.com.