JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a series of crashes happened at the same intersection, the Florida Department of Transportation is constructing a new roundabout in Jacksonville's Murray Hill area.
The co-owners of a nearby business, Duval Dogs say they've seen at least seven wrecks at Edgewood Avenue and College Street over a three-month span. One of those crashes – a hit-and-run – caused $4,000 in property damage.
Due to the cost of replacing their fence that was damaged in the crash, the business's opening date had to be pushed back by two weeks.
Other neighboring business owners and customers told First Coast News speeding and the likelihood of crashes at the intersection has impacted them by avoiding walking on the sidewalks or even stopping at places near the intersection.
Duval Dogs co-owner Nikki Fama says customers dropping off their dogs at the business can be tricky with the current intersection.
"There's no way to cross the street safely," Fama said. "There's no way for a car to make a U-turn because there's no indicators even when there's barrels set out evenly throughout the road. You got to try to maneuver between them to turn left."
Duval Dogs co-owner David Cushman adds that prior to purchasing their building, they had no idea how dangerous the intersection was until seeing it with their own eyes. And after seeing roundabouts be added to nearby intersections, it only raised their hopes about getting one added right by the storefront.
"We witnessed cars going at least 45 mph over down the street and I believe a roundabout is going to make that to where it’s not going to be possible any longer," Cushman said. "That will slow everybody down and keep traffic going down in this neighborhood in a good and timely manner."
Construction on the roundabout at Edgewood Avenue and College Street started Saturday, so if driving through this portion of Murray Hill, drivers are encouraged to be aware of crews working.