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South Fulton implements new safety measures at dangerous intersection

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Published  January 16, 2023 11:06pm EST
South Fulton
FOX 5 Atlanta

City officials working to make deadly intersection safer

Drivers say a dangerous South Fulton intersection has them living in fear. They say high speeds and a lack of traffic lights make Highway-138 and Bethsaida Road in South Fulton dangerous. One elderly couple lost their lives there last spring.

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - An intersection in South Fulton is so dangerous drivers have died there and neighbors say they live in fear. Highway 138 and Bethsaida Road is the site of numerous crashes. There are no traffic lights for miles along the stretch of road. Drivers can buildup a head of steam as they zoom through the intersection.

The driving can be frantic, the speeds scary.

"It’s just awful, it’s awful," said Evelyn Dawson, a homeowner who lives nearby. "I’m horrified. I’m actually horrified."

The intersection is so dangerous Dawson worries about the worst.

"Oh yes! I’m consistently on pins and needles. I pray all the time for people that they don’t get killed," Dawson said in respond to if he fears a car will crash into his home.

"The people who live in this community, they’re afraid. They’re afraid to even turn on this road," said Linda Becquer-Pritchett, a South Fulton City Council member.

Becquer-Pritchett says some drivers fly by at such breakneck speeds, the intersection has become a hazard.

"Extremely dangerous," Becquer-Prichett said.

Leon and Christine Watson died last May after another vehicle slammed into their car where the two roads meet.

"This intersection is not safe because of the increased speeds," Becquer-Pritchett said.

What makes this intersection so dangerous? It sits on a stretch where there are no traffic lights for miles. Some drivers get careless.

"That’s very dangerous because you just about double the speed limit, doing 100 in a 55 out there," said Lt. Craig Harper with South Fulton Police. "It’s one of our top three intersections of bad crashes in the city of South Fulton."

Becquer-Pritchett convinced police to beef up patrols and place a speed detector on Highway 138.

"We got a radar trailer on 138 and we’re doing traffic enforcement in the area," Lt. Harper said, noting the city will also install a traffic light there within the next 90 days to get drivers to slow down.

Dawson calls the plan a "good idea. At least it’ll give the opportunity to think."

Councilwoman Becquer-Pritchett says the city eventually will build a traffic circle at the intersection as a more permanent solution.