FORT PAYNE, Ala. (WHNT) — The mayor of Fort Payne says that the corner of Highway 11 and Airport Road is the most dangerous intersection in the city.
Residents, who agree, claim the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has ignored the pleas from the mayor to fix the issues.
Two weeks ago, a car landed upside down in the ditch after being slammed at the intersection, seriously injuring the driver and her two passengers.
Mayor Brian Baine told News 19 that was the latest near-fatal accident at the busy intersection.
“I know at least one of those young ladies was airlifted to Erlanger Hospital and had a long road of recovery,” said Baine.
For years, the mayor has pleaded for help from ALDOT to do something about the dangerous corner, but he says that his hands have been tied.
“I have talked with ALDOT on numerous occasions,” explained Baine. “And they have done three traffic studies since I have been talking to them. Hopefully, if we keep pushing and being persistent maybe we can get something done.”
After the accident, community member Steve Henry pushed to get at least a traffic signal at the corner to negotiate the left turns during the busy time of the day.
“City council says that their hands are tied, and they have handed it off to ALDOT,” Henry said. “We are looking really bad out here and this is awful. The other morning, I assume the girls didn’t know if they were turning or not, so they pulled out into traffic and they were in a serious car accident and ended up in the embankment.”
Henry says that he doesn’t understand why the study from ALDOT hasn’t revealed a severe problem with the intersection.
“ALDOT built another lane here on the highway and not sure why they did that. We really need a traffic light because we needed a traffic light twenty years ago,” said Henry.
Fort Payne Police reported that the car the woman was driving was attempting to make a left turn at that corner. Her condition, nor any of the passengers, has been updated.
ALDOT has conducted three recent studies of the corner.
