Colonial Drive in East Orange is already littered with construction zones, but some neighbors are concerned not enough is being done to ensure they can exit safely from their own communities.

  • A News 13 viewer says Colonial Drive, Hancock Lone Palm Road is a dangerous intersection
  • Viewer says she witnessed bicyclist hit by car
  • FDOT says study of intersection will be done
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Edin Lawson writes in this week ...

"The intersection of Colonial and Hancock Lone Palm Road is extremely dangerous. Turning left onto Colonial, drivers have to wait in an unsafe area. Also, there's a blind spot making a right turn onto Hancock. Desperate for help!"

Lawson says the people in her community are getting tired of getting struck making left turns to and from Colonial Drive.

"You're very nervous because you're blocked,” said Lawson. “You know, your vision is blocked from the cars coming this way. So you kind of just have to hope for the best and hope there are no cars coming."

Lawson says traffic has become so bad that she fears for the safety of her young son, who is frequently with her in the car.

"He's also nervous too because he thinks we're going to get hit!"

Lawson says she has witnessed one accident herself, a person on a bicycle hit by a car.

She even claims when she voiced her concerns to officials, she was told to just avoid the intersection and start driving around to Bridgeway Boulevard.

That would require her to head in the opposite direction from Colonial Drive and perform a long loop back to the main road.

Construction crews recently widened Colonial Drive in East Orange County from four to six lanes to handle the increase in traffic from population growth.

"It's helped it a little, but it really hasn't made a big difference. I don't think it's made the difference that they were thinking it was going to make."

Colonial Drive is a state road, so it's under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Transportation. When contacted, the department told News 13 that residents have reached out to them already regarding some "operational difficulties" they have been experiencing.

That being said, the department also claimed that because of those calls, they are going to conduct a traffic study that will take place within the next 60 days.

That's only the first step. Once the study is done they'll determine if any changes should be made for drivers. There's no timeline for when those decisions will be made.

Thanks for your submission Lawson!

And if you have a traffic issue or question at home that you want looked at, go to mynews13.com/trafficinbox and just fill out the simple form.