By JOSH AULT
6 News Reporter
MADISONVILLE (WATE) - Fatal crashes at a Monroe County intersection have residents concerned that it needs safety improvements.
The intersection is at Isbill Road and Highway 68.
A small, white cross stands at the corner of the intersection in honor of Josh Sisk, 22. He was killed in a car accident there on December 16.
His death was the second at that location in the past year.
"There's a wreck here every week," said Donna Dalton, who owns a nearby beauty shop. "People act like they don't see the stop signs, don't obey the speed limit."
Dalton saw the crash that killed Sisk. "I hated it," she said. "It's like you still see it every day. Every time I look out the window, you see this kid, 22-year-old kid, pass away."
Police officials say there are several factors that have caused accidents including speed and many distractions in the area.
Madisonville city officials have been working to put up a traffic signal there for years. They're not sure when it will be in operation.
"You start in the planning stages with the state that we started in 2010," explained Madisonville City Recorder and Judge Ted Cagle. "You get right-of-ways involved. You get engineering involved. It has to be approved and budgeted."
Officials with the Tennessee Department of Transportation say they're going to put a traffic signal at the intersection. However, plans for the project won't be ready until August 2012.
"I think they should get one quicker than that because there don't need to be more fatalities," Dalton said.
Drivers are asked to slow down in the area and use caution until a signal is installed.
City officials say it will cost close to half a million dollars to put a signal there. A federal grant will be used to pay for the signal, but the city will be responsible for its upkeep.
An estimated 20,000 vehicles drive through that area each day.
A small, white cross stands at the corner of the intersection in honor of Josh Sisk, 22.
