Drivers constantly hit this infamous guardrail in Pierce Co. Locals are obsessed
You’d be hard-pressed to find another guardrail as popular — or perhaps unpopular — as the crumpled piece of metal between mileposts 13.9 and 14 on state Route 302.
It’s a frequent topic of discussion in Key Peninsula Facebook groups, where folks have named it, argued over it, joked about it and composed songs about it.
“The guardrail is not only feared, she’s beloved,” said Key Peninsula resident Jeff Fraley, in an interview June 15.
Located on a winding section of the highway known locally as the “Wauna curves,” heading into the Key Peninsula from the Purdy Bridge, the guardrail has become infamous for how frequently cars crash into it. Since it was installed in 2020, crews have repaired it 21 times, Washington State Department of Transportation spokesperson Cara Mitchell wrote in an email June 5.
It usually lasts a week before it gets hit again, but it varies, Fraley said. “Sometimes it’s the next day, sometimes it’s a month, month and a half. I think that’s kind of the longest stretch that will go by.”
He thinks you could call it the most popular guardrail in Pierce County, he told The News Tribune. “I think she would win hands down, without any trepidation,” he said.
Why do people hit the guardrail so frequently?
Key Peninsula resident Brandy Jones recalled driving home late one night and seeing a vehicle that had hit the guardrail. She reported it, but learned emergency responders were already on their way, she told The News Tribune in an email.
“They hit it hard enough that the back end of the vehicle had swung up onto the opposite side of the ditch,” she wrote. “As I drove by, I could hear the engine revving like they were trying to drive out of it, but the vehicle was basically suspended with both the front and rear ends making contact while the wheels appeared to be off the ground. They were giving it everything they had trying to get out.”
Fraley told The News Tribune most collisions with the guardrail that he’s seen haven’t been serious, but there’s still the “not funny side of it ... because real damage is occurring, and that takes a financial toll on the people that have gotten a little too close to her.”
It’s not clear exactly why the guardrail keeps getting hit. Despite the curvy highway, the end of the guardrail that gets hit is located alongside a straight stretch of road, not rounding a corner. The News Tribune reached out to the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Washington State Patrol and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office to learn more.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office pointed The News Tribune to the Washington State Patrol because the road is a state highway and troopers respond to collisions there. WSP spokesperson Kameron Watts said that while he’s able to look up the collisions at a particular location, the information would be generic. He recommended The News Tribune reach out to WSDOT, which is notified every time a trooper submits a collision report, and said that a public records request for those reports may also provide information.
A reporter filed a public records request to WSP for all collision reports between mileposts 13.9 and 14 on state Route 302 involving the guardrail from Jan. 1, 2020 to June 25, 2026. That request is pending.
Meanwhile, a search of the Washington State Patrol’s Collision Analysis Tool shows that seven collision reports were filed in 2024 and 2025 for incidents around milepost 14 on state Route 302. Two of those reports explicitly say a vehicle struck a guardrail. The first happened in daylight hours just after 7 p.m. on July 24, 2024. The other happened after dark on April 20, 2025 at 10 p.m. Both were non-injury collisions, according to the search tool.
The News Tribune asked if WSDOT sees the frequency of collisions with the guardrail as unusual, compared to other guardrails on state highways.
“Guardrail is a safety barrier and can lessen the severity of crashes,” WSDOT spokesperson Mitchell wrote. “This section of SR 302 has annual average daily traffic volume of 24,000 vehicles. While the guardrail has been struck two times so far in 2026, most drivers that use this section of SR 302 are not hitting it. While we do not know the specific cause of each of the guardrail hits at this location, we can tell you that most collisions are preventable. The leading causes of collisions are speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving.”
Pierce County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carly Cappetto confirmed that the department is aware of collisions involving the guardrail on the Key Peninsula.
“Collisions involving the guardrail along SR 302 are not uncommon,” Cappetto wrote in an email Thursday. “While each incident is unique, the most common contributing factors we see in serious traffic collisions are excessive speed, impaired driving, distracted driving, and driver inattention. That particular stretch of roadway includes curves and changing road conditions that can quickly become dangerous if drivers are not paying attention.”
It’s not clear if collisions happen at a particular time of day or if certain vehicles are more susceptible to hitting it.
“Without reviewing the specific collision data for that location, I would hesitate to identify a particular vehicle type or time of day as being most common,” Cappetto wrote. “However, law enforcement generally sees higher rates of serious collisions during periods of increased traffic volume, nighttime hours, and times when impaired driving is more prevalent.”
How much has the state spent to repair the guardrail?
WSDOT spokesperson Cara Mitchell wrote June 5 that the department has repaired the guardrail multiple times each year since its installation in 2020:
- 2020 - 2 repairs
- 2021 - 3 repairs
- 2022 - 5 repairs
- 2023 - 3 repairs
- 2024 - 4 repairs
- 2025 - 2 repairs
- 2026 year-to-date - 2 repairs
Mitchell wrote that the cost and time to repair the guardrail can change significantly depending on the amount of damage done, but typically, crews can wrap up repairs for a single location within one working day. In total, the 21 repairs have cost the department about $84,886.
“Sourcing the right materials and coordinating the time that it takes to get out to the location and set up traffic control, can add complexity to the job,” she wrote. “A typical maintenance crew fixing or replacing guardrail is 5 people. Whenever possible, we try to recoup the costs of fixing guardrail damaged in a collision.”
Fraley said that multiple vehicles usually hit the guardrail before it gets repaired. “Usually it gets crumpled, and then gets more crumpled, and then it might get more crumpled even after that, and then it gets replaced, and it’s all new,” he said. “And usually when it’s new, that’s when it’s like, OK, you know, the bets are on. How long is it gonna stay that way?”
Asked if WSDOT is considering making any improvements to the roadway to reduce crashes with the guardrail, WSDOT spokesperson Mitchell wrote that a “guardrail, first and foremost, is a safety barrier, so it is not unusual for it to get hit.”
“Drivers need to drive to the highway conditions,” Mitchell wrote. “We ask people to drive the posted speeds. They are there for driver safety. We also ask drivers to pay attention, put down the phone and to never drive impaired.”
A beloved community fixture
Few months go by without someone snapping a picture of the crumpled rail and posting a comment to one of the Key Peninsula’s community Facebook pages, unleashing a flood of jokes, puns and debates.
“I think we’re putting too much power into this thing, it’s gaining power,” Key Peninsula resident Becca Gluski joked in a phone call. “It feels like the more people talk about it, the more accidents happen.”
Residents have come up with different names for the guardrail: Todd, Gary, Invisirail, Miss Wauna Rail, McGuardy and others.
Key Peninsula resident Alex Hostettler told The News Tribune in an email that he was the one who suggested “Todd,” after seeing a post on Facebook asking residents to submit names for the guardrail. A moderator later created a poll for residents to vote for their preferred name, and Todd won.
“I just find the name to be comical and this situation with the rail is so bizarre it just kind of fits,” Hostettler wrote in an email.
Others have found ways to memorialize the guardrail’s legacy. One resident, Douglas Smith, composed a parody about it to the tune of “Dead Man’s Curve” by Jan and Dean. “The song lyrics are very popular!” he told The News Tribune in an email.
The end of the guardrail was still crumpled when a reporter edged along the road to see it in-person June 9. Someone had affixed a sign on the pole behind the guardrail and scrawled tally marks on it.
Asked about that sign, Fraley laughed. “It’s not accurate,” he said. “No, but if we were going to tally it, we’d need a giant board.”
For his part, Fraley thinks “Miss Wauna Rail” deserves a “historic plaque” naming her the “most popular, prettiest, whatever it is.”
“I think we should commemorate her, how attractive she is to the community,” he said. “Everybody just wants to meet and greet with her one way or another.”
He jokes that he’s still waiting for his turn. “You know, we have to do our civic duty,” he said. “We have to go out there just to entertain everyone.”
WSDOT and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office both told The News Tribune they advise drivers to stay within the speed limit, focus on driving and avoid driving while impaired.
“Many of the crashes we investigate could have been prevented if drivers slowed down and remained fully focused on the road,” Cappetto wrote. “Rural roadways often have less room for error than urban streets, and a few extra miles per hour can make the difference between safely navigating a curve and leaving the roadway.
“We encourage drivers to give themselves extra travel time, put away their phones, wear their seatbelts, and always designate a sober driver when alcohol or drugs are involved. Safe driving habits remain the single greatest factor in preventing crashes and keeping our community safe.”
