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Dangerous intersection with frequent crashes alarms nearby residents, schools

2 years 1 month 3 weeks ago Friday, October 21 2022 Oct 21, 2022 October 21, 2022 10:51 PM October 21, 2022 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Some people are fed up with wreck after wreck at an intersection near several schools in old south Baton Rouge.

One recent crash sent a car careening into a house. They've asked 2 On Your Side to get the attention of the city-parish, hoping to get something done about the intersection of Tennessee Street and East Buchanan Street.

A blue tarp covers the corner of Devin Wright's house where a car ran into it in August. He wasn't home at the time, but his family was.

"Just heard and felt the house shake. Literally, that's how they all described it," Wright said.

The impact opened a hole in the house, dislodging the gas line and shifting the house on its piers. The front of the property is surrounded by concrete and steel barricades put in place by Wright's great-grandfather when he operated the corner store Stevenson and Son Grocery. That store is now gone, but the barricades remain in place.

"Had the car not hit one of these barriers, it would have been worse," Wright said.

It's not the only time a car has come roaring through the intersection near the house. It's happened four times since the beginning of August.

The speed limit is 25 mph in an area with several schools. There are stop signs on Tennessee Street, but the cross traffic does not stop.

"We know that people aren't abiding by the limit, and they're also just moving past that stop sign," he said.

Wright called 2 On Your Side for help because he can't go on living this way, every day waiting for the next crash.

"I don't want to see crosses and flowers as a memorial for somebody to pass away before we say, 'hey, there are two schools in the area, there are people that live in the area, we need to make sure that we do something about it,'" Wright said.

Something like adding signs to alert drivers about the traffic flow, another speed limit sign or one that tells you a stop is coming. Wright says what he wants are speed bumps.

The City-Parish Traffic Engineering Department says there has been a request for a traffic calming study at this intersection. Soon, a petition will be mailed to the addressee.

The department asks that 10 people sign the document for that study to be initiated. The study will count the cars and clock their speed to determine what option would be best to mitigate the concern.

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