Supervisor urges Caltrans safety fixes at Hwy 156 roundabout after 2 fatal crashes

San Benito County Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki has been urging Caltrans to address safety concerns at a roundabout on Highway 156 at Bixby Road after two fatal crashes occurred in less than a month. "I've been very adamantly pointing out that there just is not enough signage to get people to slow down at this roundabout," Kosmicki said.According to the California Highway Patrol, the first fatal crash involved a Dodge coupe and a Honda sedan at the end of January, while the second incident involved a motorcycle with rollover damage on Sunday afternoon. Kosmicki expressed his concerns directly to Caltrans, stating, "I've spoken directly to Caltrans and said, 'Look, you've got to step up and do something about this. This is not a good situation. We are going to see more accidents. We are going to see more fatalities, and lo and behold, this last weekend we had another fatality,'" he said. "It's really unfortunate because roundabouts, when used correctly, when put in the right places, when engineered properly, are very good mechanisms for traffic flow, for safety, they're supposed to reduce the number of fatalities, not increase the number of fatalities."Caltrans spokesperson Kevin Drabinski explained that any changes to the roundabout would be considered after the CHP issues its final report. "Our traffic safety team evaluates that and looks for any opportunity to improve signage or any other factor that might make it a safer intersection. The whole idea behind roundabouts is to make for more safe travel," Drabinski said.While Highway 156 falls under Caltrans jurisdiction, limiting the county's ability to make changes, Kosmicki assured that the transportation board will continue to advocate for improvements. He expressed confidence that Caltrans will take action, a sentiment echoed by locals. Benny Jerome shared his concerns, saying, "These roundabouts are nothing but trouble. I get nervous just pulling my horses. I get worried that somebody's going to make me wreck, and we'll have horses on the side of the road."Kosmicki says, in addition to more signage, he'd like to see CHP have a stronger presence out here so people slow down.The Transportation Safety Board will meet with Caltrans again in March.