The speed limit on a 1.3 mile stretch of Southeast Commercial Street will be reduced from 40 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour as part of an effort to reduce traffic fatalities and address dangerous road conditions.
The affected stretch of road is between Southeast Browning Avenue and Southeast Barnes Avenue, the city of Salem said in a news release Tuesday. The current signs on Commercial will start being replaced with 35 mile per hour signs starting Sept. 9, said Trevor Smith, public information officer with the city of Salem.
The change means the arterial will have a speed limit of 35 miles per hour for the heavily-trafficked area south of the split with South Liberty Road to Kuebler Boulevard.
Smith said the speed limit changes between Browning and Barnes were made at the request of two bordering neighborhood associations.
“It addresses the neighborhood association’s concerns about traffic flow and safety while increased development and congestion continues to grow in the area. The city of Salem believes the change will help promote continuity and safety for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians from downtown Salem to south Salem,” Smith said in an email. “The section of Commercial Street south of Barnes Road was not included in the neighborhood association request and was not submitted to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for their review.”
Fatal and serious traffic collisions in the Salem area have tripled in the past decade, and residents who gave feedback for a recent regional traffic safety plan say they fear for their safety when walking or biking in neighborhoods.
A new draft plan released in August showed that sections of Silverton Road, Lancaster Drive, Liberty Road and Commercial Street are some of the most common crash sites in the Salem area.
The report showed the most crashes on Commercial occurred between Hilfiker Lane to Fabry Street. The speed limit change partially covers the problematic stretch, but does not affect the stretch of Commercial between Southeast Barnes Avenue to Fabry Street.
That stretch of road between Hilfiker Lane and Fabry Street has seen a total of 410 total crashes from 2017 to 2021. Two pedestrians have been killed in those crashes and 11 crashes resulted in serious injuries, the report showed.
The city provided a link to a map of the area affected by the September speed limit change on its website, and said the change is part of its ongoing efforts to make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.
The new 35 mile per hour speed limit is the same speed limit along Commercial between Southeast Ratcliff Drive and Southeast Browning Avenue, the release said.
The speed limit reduction was approved by the Oregon Department of Transportation and is in response to community feedback that showed a reduction in speed limit along this busy stretch of Commercial would improve safety.
The new speed limit will soon be posted on new signs along Commercial Street and the city said drivers are encouraged to be mindful of the change and to drive accordingly. More information on the city’s efforts to update the Salem Transportation System Plan is available on the Salem in Motion website.
Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.
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Joe Siess is a reporter for Salem Reporter. Joe joined Salem Reporter in 2024 and primarily covers city and county government but loves surprises. Joe previously reported for the Redmond Spokesman, the Bulletin in Bend, Klamath Falls Herald and News and the Malheur Enterprise. He was born in Independence, MO, where the Oregon Trail officially starts, and grew up in the Kansas City area.
