BARTOW, Fla. — It's an intersection no stranger to crashes. Drivers in Bartow came to 10 Tampa Bay expressing safety concerns, and we took those to the Florida Department of Transportation officials finding out a deadly intersection will soon see safe change.
It's located at Lyle Parkway and U.S. 98. It’s an intersection Steve Giglio drives several times a day. He explained every day he sees close calls involving car accidents and has witnessed dozens of car accidents.
"When you see a motorcyclist get launched 20 feet, it stays with you," Giglio said.
Giglio brought his safety concerns to state, county and city officials years ago. Nothing came out of pushing for change. He explained the intersection has too much going on when it comes to cars turning. He believes a stoplight would provide the necessary direction and slow drivers down.
"It would give traffic a better chance to flow easier," he said.
A traffic engineer with FDOT told 10 Tampa Bay that state officials are considering a stoplight for the long-term solution, but their quick fix could be directional.
"We are looking at the possibility of installing a directional," FDOT's Traffic Services Program Engineer Walter Breuggeman said.
Breuggeman said a directional would be a temporary solution and what it would do is make it so drivers can't turn left from Lyle Parkway onto U.S. 98. Instead, drivers would need to go to the nearest red light and make a U-turn.
"By doing this, your reducing the conflict points of intersection," Giglio said.
As far as a stoplight is concerned, FDOT officials explained that could take years. Residents want to see it sooner than later.
"We need it now," Giglio said when he heard it wouldn't be an immediate installation.
FDOT explained drivers and commissioners have expressed Giglio's same safety concerns, adding speeding is an issue too.
"The speed limit just north of here is 55 mph and it drops to 45 mph," Breuggeman explained. "Cars don't seem to slow down when they pass through the intersection."
FDOT keeps records of fatal and serious crashes. FDOT's records show since 2018, there have been four serious crashes. One of those was a fatal crash where one person died in 2020.
The Bartow Police Department respond to crashes in that area since it is a city road as well, saying since 2020, they have responded to 27 crashes here. A majority involved left turns, which a directional would temporarily stop if approved.
FDOT officials said they plan to have public input meetings before anything is decided. One could happen in the next few months.