Agrawal on UH traffic study: 'They’re not used to that kind of intersection'

A University of Houston study has determined which 10 intersections in the City of Houston present the most dangers to motorists, according to a report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU. 

Dr. Ashutosh Agrawal, an associate professor with the university's Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a group of students conducted the study and compiled a list of 10 of Houston's most dangerous intersections, the station reported. 

KHOU reported that the traffic circle near Hermann Park is a hot zone for collisions. The study found that 59 crashes occurred at the intersection of Fannin and Pease Streets in Downtown Houston, deeming it the most dangerous intersection in the city given its proximity to parking garages.

"People who are living there will get used to that intersection, but imagine the number of people who come to that region for the Texas Medical Center or for the Hermann Park or for the Houston Museum District," Agrawal told KHOU. "They’re not used to that kind of intersection."

Agrawal said the study wanted to gauge the changes that have occurred since the state fully reopened businesses last year. KHOU reported the study discovered that vehicular crashes have risen compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic for unknown reasons.

According to the research, half of the city's 10 most dangerous intersections are long heavy corridors FM 1960 and SH 6 while the others are inside the Loop. 

KHOU reported the study's list of the 10 most dangerous Houston intersections are as follows: Pease Street and Fannin Street (59 crashes); Bissonnet Street and Westchester Avenue (41 crashes); Main Street and Montrose Boulevard (Mecom Fountain Roundabout) (39 crashes); FM 1960 and W. Lake Houston Parkway (39 crashes); S. Gessner Road and Westpark Drive (39 crashes); Spencer Road and Highway 6 (37 crashes); Highway 6 and Bellaire Boulevard (37 crashes) Treaschwig Road and FM 1960 (36 crashes); Clay Road and Barker Cypress Road (36 crashes) and Highway 6 and Westheimer Road (36 crashes).

Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that the students participated in the study in their free time and it wasn't for a grade.

Their research focused on a period that began on March 10, 2021, when Texas reopened for business, to Feb. 25.

The study utilized Texas Department of Transportation data.