City makes changes to dangerous Jacksonville intersection

The city of Jacksonville is making changes 10 months after Action News Jax exposed a dangerous westside intersection.

Crews hired by the city recently began installing safety upgrades to Commonwealth Avenue and Bulls Bay Highway.

“Relief. Something’s finally being done,” said neighbor Ernest Taylor.

Taylor said he’s called 911 more than a dozen times to report crashes at the intersection.

“At this point, it was just a normal occurrence to expect an accident,” said Taylor.

A snapped power pole next to a stop sign is a daily reminder of the intersection’s dangers.

It’s still there three months after it was plowed into during a crash.

Days before, a mail carrier was taken away in an ambulance after she got into a crash that destroyed a utility box at the intersection.

A city traffic study in February found the intersection is dangerous because drivers speed through it, and Commonwealth Avenue curves very close to the intersection.

Now crews are installing red flashing beacons in all directions.

The city plans to install stop signs on Commonwealth Avenue by the end of next week, which will transform the intersection into a four-way stop.

“I hope residents in the area don’t complain about what’s happening now because we’re going to have to stop. It’s just, it’s something that has to be done. And if we’re willing to complain, we’ve got to be willing to deal with the remedy,” said Taylor.

The city plans to install “stop ahead” warning signs on Commonwealth Avenue and will add yellow flashing beacons to those signs in about a month.

Cox Media Group