Supervisor Burgis: Safe Driving on Vasco Road

The past month has been deadly on Vasco Road, with multiple car crashes, including several fatalities. Every life lost to traffic is a tragedy, and my heart goes out to victims and the loved ones they’ve left behind.

Before I outline some of the improvements that the County has made along Vasco Road in the past decade and the County’s future plans for improving safety, I want to emphasize that road safety starts with individual drivers taking personal responsibility for their actions. According to the EPA, the average automobile sold in the United States in 2022 weighed 4,094 lbs. A speeding two-ton automobile in irresponsible hands is as dangerous as any other weapon in the wrong hands. It is all of our responsibility to drive in a safe manner so that we all get to our destinations safely.

As the school year starts at the end of this month, driving safely becomes even more important, with more cars in school drop-off and pickup areas and more students out and about.

California Highway Patrol is in charge of monitoring and enforcing traffic laws on our unincorporated roads, but CHP cannot be everywhere all at once. In the end, it is our individual responsibility to keep our communities and our roads safe.

With the recent string of collisions on Vasco Road specifically, Contra Costa County Public Works provided these updates on road safety improvements there:

• The Vasco Road Safety Improvements Phase 1 Project was completed in 2012, which included construction of a concrete median barrier, retaining walls, bridge widening, as well as other improvements. The Vasco Road Safety Improvements Phase 2 Project is an extension of Phase 1 and requires additional funding for completion. Regional Measure 3 (RM3) funding of $15 million has been dedicated to this project to date; however, that is only about half the amount needed to construct Phase 2. Contra Costa County Public Works submitted a grant application on June 16, 2023, for additional funding to move the Vasco Road Safety Improvements Phase 2 Project forward. Additional information on Phase 1 and 2 can be found at the following link: contracosta.ca.gov/VascoRdSafetyImprovements
• Earlier in 2023, Contra Costa County was awarded Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant funding for the Vasco Road Safety Improvements Project, from Walnut Blvd to Camino Diablo. This project proposes constructing no passing zones, median striping, centerline rumble strips, and delineators and is planned for construction by 2025.
• There have been various improvements constructed at the intersection of Vasco Road and Camino Diablo recently, but additional improvements are still proposed and included as Project #8 in the Contra Costa County Vision Zero Action Plan, available for viewing at the following link: contracosta.ca.gov/VisionZero. Public Works is currently scoping the project and actively pursuing grant funding.
• The existing centerline delineators on Vasco Road were repaired and replaced by our maintenance crews in November 2022 to enhance safety through this busy commuter corridor. Another round of work is scheduled for August 2023.
• Contra Costa County’s traffic section reviews collision reports (generated by CHP) to look for patterns or clusters of similar collisions to determine countermeasures that could be implemented to help reduce or eliminate those types of collisions.

More investments in Vasco Road safety are on their way, but we can all start driving more safely today.

Supervisor Diane Burgis

Editor’s Note – Recent Deadly Vasco Crashes

• July 10 – 2 Dead in 3 Vehicle Crash on Vasco Road at Walnut
• June 21 – 1 Dead, 2 Others With Major Injuries in Head On-Crash on Vasco Road
• Feb 27 – Vasco Road Now Open After Monday Morning Fatal Crash
• Oct 25, 2022 – Driver Attempting to Pass Vehicles on Vasco Road Causes Head-on Crash