City Officials Work to Make Deadly Intersections Safer
Drivers say a dangerous intersection in South Fulton has them living in fear. They say the high speeds and lack of traffic lights make Highway 138 and Bethsaida Road in South Fulton dangerous. An elderly couple lost their lives there last spring.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. – An intersection in South Fulton is so dangerous that drivers have been killed there and neighbors say they live in fear. Highway 138 and Bethsaida Road is the site of numerous accidents. There are no traffic lights for kilometers along the stretch of road. Drivers can build up a head of steam as they speed through the intersection.
The driving can be hectic, the speeds terrifying.
“It’s horrible, it’s horrible,” said Evelyn Dawson, a homeowner who lives nearby. “I’m horrified. In fact, I’m horrified.”
The intersection is so dangerous that Dawson worries for the worst.
“Oh yeah! I’m constantly on pins and needles. I pray all the time for people not to die,” Dawson said in response to if she fears a car crashing into her house.
“People who live in this community are afraid. They are afraid to even turn onto this road,” said Linda Becquer-Pritchett, a member of the South Fulton City Council.
Becquer-Pritchett says some drivers fly by at such breakneck speeds that the intersection has become a hazard.
“Extremely dangerous,” Becquer-Prichett said.
Leon and Christine Watson died last May after another vehicle crashed into their car at the junction of the two highways.
“This intersection is not safe due to the increased speed,” Becquer-Pritchett said.
What makes this intersection so dangerous? It sits on a stretch where there are no stop lights for miles. Some drivers are careless.
“That’s very dangerous because you’re almost double the speed limit, doing 100 on a 55,” South Fulton police Lt. Craig Harper said. “It’s one of our top three severe crash intersections in the City of South Fulton.”
Becquer-Pritchett convinced the police to reinforce patrols and place a speed detector on Highway 138.
“We have a radar trailer on 138 and are monitoring traffic in the area,” Lt. Harper said, noting that the city will also install a traffic light there within the next 90 days to slow drivers down.
Dawson calls the plan a “good idea. At least it will give you a chance to think.”
Councilwoman Becquer-Pritchett says the city will eventually build a roundabout at the intersection as a more permanent solution.