Signs of confusion at deadly O.B. corner

In July of 2017, the City of San Diego admittedly installed a dozen black-and-yellow traffic signs incorrectly on the corner of Bacon Street and Coronado Avenue in Ocean Beach.

The reflective directional arrows warn drivers of the dangerous corner, which curves above an approximate 60-foot dropoff. The city had placed the arrows facing opposite directions and stacked them on top of each other, so drivers coming from either direction were met with a head-scratcher.

Perhaps as a New Year’s prank, the morning of January 2 saw the return of confusing (and missing) signs.

Two of the sign posts are bare; the remaining four posts have arrows that have been adjusted to face each other and are missing screws and flapping around because the brackets are loose. And the left-turn sign on Bacon Street as you approach Coronado is twisted so it’s now facing a building.

A representative from San Diego’s Street Division on January 2nd referred me to their supervisor, but not before telling me that, “A field technician will check it out probably tomorrow [January 3rd]. It’s not a high-priority fix.”

After a second call to San Diego’s Street Division on January 3rd, I was again told it’s “not a priority.”

According to the City’s Get It Done website, there are three reports “in process” to correct the arrows.

“I will have my guy come out tomorrow [January 4th] and tighten them up,“ Danny Finnerson, a Public Works supervisor told me after I explained the nuts and loose bolts to him.

In response to another question I had, Finnerson said, “If we were to paint arrows [on the road], that would have to go through the traffic engineering department. They would go out there, consider the complaints, and make a decision. If they make a decision to do this, they will forward it to us.”

The Reader reported the fatal crash that occurred on the corner in January 2015. Kyle Witkowski was traveling at a high rate of speed westbound on Bacon Street when he missed the abrupt turn, sending him and his passenger crashing through the fence, onto the rocks below. Witkowski, 28, reportedly died instantly and his female passenger was airlifted to the hospital, according to the OB Rag.