LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dixie Highway has been one of Louisville's most dangerous roadways, with a crash rate three times higher than other highways, according to the New Dixie Highway Project Team.
They want to reduce accidents, but the changes to Dixie Highway is making it impossible for some drivers to take a left. For neighbors on Welby Road, it’s far from alright.
“It’s really frustrating,” Bob Whitworth said. “It was hard and difficult before they started construction, but now, if you want to go left or south on Dixie Highway, it's even worse.”
The New Dixie Highway Project is installing medians in an effort to prevent accidents.
“The access management approach we have taken is to limit left turns to signalized intersections through the use of medians. Making a U-turn at an intersection with a left turn signal is much safer than turning left across traffic,” spokesperson Beverly Bartlett said in a statement.
Drivers though trapped in the cul de sac of Welby Road think it’s more of a headache.
“What we have to do is take a right, work our way over three lanes to another red light, make a left, and if you can, make a U-turn or go through a shopping center, come out at Lower Hunter's red light and then wait maybe two red lights before we can get out to make a right hand turn into our street,” said Linda May, who has lived there for 30 years.
It's not just the extra 20 minutes they say is added to a commute every day. There’s also a worry of more wrecks.
“There's no turn lane,” said Whitworth. “There's no turn signal, it's an opportunity to get rear-ended if you're trying to go there,” he explained, talking about driving South on Dixie and turning left onto Welby Road.
“We understand the addition of the medians will mean changing traffic patterns for some residents, including those on Welby Road. But safety is the motivation and first priority of the project,” Bartlett said.
It will be the new normal. Most of the construction is supposed to be finished by the end of the year.
“That's what we have to do right now, we don't like it, but we have to leave earlier and make adjustments,” said May.
With nowhere else to turn, May hopes she'll at least be heard.
“Hopefully someone will listen to us and try to do something for us to make it easier to get in and out of our street and give us an arrow signal so we can turn to get into our street.”
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