MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — People living near the intersection of Cosmos Avenue and Peppergrass Street in Middleburg are seeing some new safety features. The Clay County Public Works Department installed red, flashing lights on the stop signs at the intersection to make them more visible. This comes one week after a 19-year-old man was killed and a 15-year-old girl was severely injured when their motorcycle collided with a pickup truck at that intersection.
According to data from the Clay County Sheriff's Office, there have been 19 crashes at this intersection since 2015. People living around there said they see a crash outside their homes about every six months.
Last week, Sheila Hodgson told First Coast News she reached out to the public works department several times to discuss adding a streetlight or flashing lights to the stop signs. She said the area gets very dark at night and some people do not see the stop signs.
"I was at the point, I made up my mind in January, I was just going to see if they can install a pole and put a light on it in the yard," Hodgson explained.
Other neighbors have also called the public works department with concerns about safety at the intersection. Their requests were finally answered Wednesday when crews installed red, flashing lights on the stop signs.
“I thought this is awesome. I cried, I'm a crier. I was so thankful, so thankful. The cars are stopping and there's not as much speeding," Hodgson said.
The public works department also plans to install warning strips along the pavement on Peppergrass St. That work is expected to start in the next few weeks.
Hodgson hopes these this will stop more crashes from happening in the future.
“We have to protect not only our children, but our families. I hope we'll never have another wreck there, never ever," Hodgson said.