JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three deadly crashes at the same intersection happened just about two months apart on Jacksonville’s westside. Now, neighbors along Argyle Forest Boulevard are calling on the city to act.
“I can be on my sofa watching my TV, and you can hear the cars coming together and crashing out here. It’s terrible,” said Eileen, a neighbor in Highland Lakes.
The intersection of Argyle Forest Boulevard and Loch Highlands Boulevard, the site of several crashes, is just behind her house.
On the Fourth of July, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a young adult died after trying to turn left out of Popeyes when a pickup truck struck the side of his Mustang.
“It’s so sad... to lose a life, just like that, in an instant,” said Irma Rentas, another nearby neighbor. Rentas said she submitted a request with the City of Jacksonville to get a traffic signal after multiple crashes.
In May, a motorcyclist was killed in the same intersection, and a pedestrian was killed there in April.
A representative for the city said the Traffic Engineering Department conducted a study and found that the intersection does qualify for a traffic signal, but neighbors will have to wait several months.
The design is complete, but construction will be funded in next year’s budget, which starts in October. The department looks at traffic flow, pedestrian volume, and the number of crashes in a year, among other things.
The city told Action News Jax that since last July, it has only received one request for service regarding the intersection.
In the meantime, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office put out digital sign warning drivers of the high traffic fatality area in the 45-mph zone. Neighbors said drivers often go faster.
“They’re usually surpassing that speed limit. Some of them are even going 60 to 70 miles an hour,” Rentas said.
Eileen added, “it’s a regular raceway.”
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