New Study Names Rockford’s Most Dangerous Roads

How many of Rockford's most dangerous streets and roads do you think you could you name off the top of your head?

I'm guessing that the assignment gets a lot easier if you yourself or someone you know has had a severe accident somewhere in the city. There's something about revisiting a place that you had an accident that brings it all back to when it happened.

For me, it's every time I approach East State Street from the north on Fairview. Back in the 80s, my car was rear-ended at that exact spot, and the impact was so hard that my front license plate shot all the way across the street into the parking lot of the auto repair center on the south side of the street. The guy who hit me had things to do, so he took off--never to be seen again. By me, anyway.

Regardless, Fairview Boulevard is not on the list of Rockford's most dangerous roads, despite the fate suffered by my license plate. Let's take a look at which streets are.

Running The Numbers On Rockford's Most Dangerous Streets All Started With A Grant From The US Department of Transportation

WIFR.com:

Rockford leaders want to put a stop to the climbing crash rates through a federal program called “Safe Streets and Roads for All.”

In 2022, the Region 1 Planning Council got a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete a regional traffic safety action plan, analyzing years’ worth of crash data collected by the Illinois Department of Transportation from around the region.

Brandon Rucker with the R1 Planning Council says part of the project is focused on decreasing serious crashes in the city of Rockford.

“During the six-year analysis from 2017 through 2022, there were a total of 457 severe outcome crashes. Ninety-three of those crashes were fatal,” said Rucker.

According to the City of Rockford Traffic Safety Action Plan, these are Rockford's most dangerous roads, based upon "severe outcome crashes" and crash rates:

• Kishwaukee Street, between Brooke Road and Harrison Avenue
• 11th Street, between Blackhawk Road and Samuelson Road
• East State Street, between Dempster Road and Arnold Avenue
• N. Central Avenue, between School Street and Auburn Street
• East Riverside Boulevard, between North Alpine and Applewood Lane
• Springfield Avenue, between Montague Road and South Main Street
• S. Alpine Road, between Harrison Avenue and Florida Drive
• Broadway, between 20th street and 31st Street
• Charles Street, between 11th street and South Rockford Avenue
• Forest Hills Road, between Pepper Drive and East Riverside Boulevard
• 11th Street, between Sandy Hollow Road and Pershing Avenue