Greenwood mayor, residents call for changes to dangerous intersection
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — People in Greenwood are calling for changes to a stretch of road after two serious crashes within the past week.
A crash Friday killed a Center Grove High School student and another crash Monday morning sent a 27-year-old woman to the hospital in serious condition with head and facial trauma, firefighters said.
Both crashes happened on State Road 135 in the area of Curry Road. Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said, in the Monday crash, a woman was walking in dark clothes before the sun came up and the driver did not see her.
“Lighting is what is necessary,” Myers said. “That came from my police officers, that there’s simply no lighting out here. Hopefully, INDOT will look at that as they study 135 and put lights out here.”
Myers said he is talking with the state’s transportation director about solutions and the Indiana Department of Transportation is studying intersections along State Road 135 to see what else can be done.
People who live in the area say the road is a safety hazard.
“I don’t want my kids to drive,” Jeremy Riffle said. “I mean it is really sad. It’s very nerve-wracking. They need to change the way the road is.”
Riffle said he’d also like to see more police out enforcing the speed limit: 45 miles per hour.
Re Conner, who works along 135, said she’d like to see the speed limit drop to at least 40.
“It’s pretty dangerous, and it’s dark at night,” Conner said. “These street lights are here, but they don’t shine much on the road.”
Conner said she’d also like to see more traffic lights in the area.
Myers said slowing traffic could make congestion worse and cause more crashes. Locals say traffic is increasing on 135 as Greenwood grows.
Riffle, who lives in a subdivision off 135, also suggested a median to eliminate the dangers of turning left onto the busy road.
“When you pull out of the addition, a lot of people travel very fast on 135; it’s a split-second reaction,” Riffle said. “You’ve got to go.”
Firefighters had not released the name or current condition of the woman struck Monday morning.
24-Hour News 8 reached out to INDOT, asking if they plan to change anything on the road. A spokesperson said he’d check with an engineer and eventually call back with more information.