Skillman at I-635 is the “most dangerous intersection in Dallas,” and 18th overall in Texas. Houston claims most of the top spots.
We’ve speculated, but now we have data, thanks to Texas personal injury attorney Brian White who worked with a data visualization firm to compile data for a map that shows number of crashes, injuries and deaths over a span of four years.
At Skillman-LBJ, we have seen 132 crashes and 107 injuries on an approach to or exit from the intersection or resulting from something related to the movement of traffic units through the intersection. Zero deaths were reported, which is quite remarkable, especially considering this October 2016 video.
The lawyer’s office worked with data visualization company 1point21 interactive to analyze four years worth of collision data (2012 – 2015) from the Texas Department of Transportation.
“We sifted through more than two million records to find all intersection related accidents as defined by the Texas DoT.”
See more about the formula, data collection and the other most perilous intersections here.
Skillman over I-635 by Danny Fulgencio
Plans are underway to realign the Skillman bridge, which experts say will improve conditions and safety. (We have a call into one of the Lake Highlands residents who has been working on this for many years, and we will bring you updates as soon as possible.)
The Skillman corridor, part of a Tax Increment Financing District (TIF), is slated for an overhaul.
Twisted multi-car wrecks to minor fender-benders are regular occurrences that cause debilitating traffic conditions. But the negative impact of this intersection goes beyond even the daily inconveniences and perils.
According to a joint study by the North Texas Central Council of Governments and the City of Dallas, it also could be severely limiting our area’s potential for economic growth.
The thoroughfare situation, according to experts who have studied the zone for years, makes inefficient use of our land, repels quality retailers and developers, and ultimately perpetuates proliferation of undesirable businesses, problematic apartment and condominium properties, and high-crime zones.
Our 2015 story describes the history of the interchange, why it is the way it is, and the plan to fix it; our series, which the story belongs to, digs deeper into what improvements to Dallas’ most dangerous intersection will mean for the surrounding areas, as well as the greater Lake Highlands area.
And maybe the Skillman fix could even mean a gradual increase in safety for the residents of the nearby apartments and patrons of the sector’s businesses.
Also nearby, the I-635-Central intersection is listed at 32 on the list, and number two in Dallas, with 78 crashes and 90 injuries.
A snapshot of Dallas’ top 10 most dangerous. (Brian White)
The Advocate wrote about dangerous intersections way back in 1996, and some of the same general areas seemed to be suffering in our neck of the woods.
