SANFORD, Fla. -- Fences are going up along sections of SunRail tracks throughout Central Florida.

But people who live near a spot where a 13-year-old was hit and killed by a SunRail train in 2017 doubt whether the fences will stop people from crossing the tracks.

For years, Veronica Burch has lived close to the railroad tracks.

“Growing up, I used to see and hear about a whole lot of deaths,” Burch said.

But despite many tragedies and knowing the risks, for years she says she took chances because crossing the tracks was the quickest way to her work.

“It’s really like committing suicide,” Burch said. “I’m a very clumsy person, and there have been plenty of times I’ve fallen on those railroad tracks. There wasn’t a train coming, thank the Lord.”

The area of tracks has been a popular spot for people in Sanford’s Goldsboro neighborhood to cross for decades, especially for students who’ve attended the nearby Crooms Academy.

“I went to school here, and I crossed that same track for years,” said Thomas Watson.

In May 2017, after a SunRail train struck and killed 13-year-old Marcees Kilpatrick, FDOT said there were already plans to make safety improvements along several sections of the tracks.

In January, a contractor got permission to move ahead with the work, but couldn’t begin the work until earlier June when that FDOT says that contractor was able to schedule train spotters to keep an eye out and keep crews safe during their work.

Burch and others who live in the area are skeptical the fencing will actually stop people from crossing.

“They’re going to use clippers and find a way to get through there, and that’s going to be a waste of money,” Burch said.

But Burch says fence or no fence, her days of taking chances by crossing the tracks in the deadly section of tracks are over.

“I think that’s a good thing they’re doing right now, but that’s the way I go to work, but still it’s (people’s) lives, and it’s getting dangerous,” Burch said.

The fencing in Sanford is just one of sixteen sections FDOT is installing along SunRail tracks in Central Florida.