Kershaw Companies Make Donation To Save Lives On US 12
A donation by the owners of Kershaw companies has led to a community award and the groundbreaking of a public safety project that will protect motorists and commercial drivers along US 12 between Yakima and Naches.
Today Washington State Patrol (wsp) Chief John Batiste will present Kershaw companies the "Quality Recognition Award" for their $200,000 donation for keeping Washington's roadways safe. The donation funds a large portion of the $636,000 price tag for Washington State Department of Transportation (wsdot) and contractor crews to construct an Eastbound acceleration lane at Low road. The rest of the project is federally funded through the highway safety improvement program.
Currently, drivers have to cross the two-lane highway and narrow median before entering traffic. Every year, WSP responds to two to three serious collisions along the 8-mile stretch of highway. In addition, in December of 2015, a fatality collision happened involving a semi-truck and trailer at the intersection US 12 and Low Road.