INDOT begins traffic study on Clinton St.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) The Indiana Department of Transportation is conducting a traffic study for an area on South Clinton Street riddled with accidents, as a result of Monday’s report that outlined about 80 accidents on the same stretch of road within five years.

Charles Creech took the brunt of the most recent accident on Sunday when a car landed near his bedroom.

“I sleep light, really light. I hear the squeal coming around the corner, I’ll sit up and wait for it to pass or wait for it to crunch,” Creech said.

It was the second time in one year.

Thomas Silvers lives in a neighborhood situated nearby.

“They get careless, instead of driving with sense, they just get careless and drive like idiots,” Silvers said. “There used to be a light right there, a long time ago, there was one there.”

INDOT removed the light in 2001. Through a speed study shortly after, it found that drivers sped up by two miles per hour.

“It just wasn’t warranted with the traffic on Wildwood, it’s timed in a way those lights will stay green and drivers can flow through the intersection. So the majority of the time, that light was green anyway and would only flip to red when there were cars on Wildwood that needed to get across,” Nichole Thomas, Director of Media Relations for INDOT said.

INDOT added a sign in 2011. Now, thanks to neighbors’ concerns, INDOT will take another hard look at the area, including whether it’s seen a decline in crashes from that sign and the number of accidents before and after that light was removed.

“Engineers will be look at things like road geometry, speed in the area as well as traffic conditions, signage, pavement markings,” Thomas said.

“That’d be wonderful if they did that, that’d be beautiful,” Silvers said.

INDOT said drivers have the biggest responsibility of all.

“Be safety conscious, make sure that they’re following al of the traffic laws and that can keep neighborhoods and roads as safe as possible,” Thomas said.

A spokesperson said many of the accidents didn’t have to do with the speed or the curve and that intersections can be more dangerous.

That study will take up to eight weeks to complete. They’ll determine what, if any actions need to be taken.