SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — It's known as one of the most dangerous and deadly intersections in Fulton County. It's also where an off-duty Atlanta Police offer died from a crash last week, and now a councilwoman wants to change three things about the road.
The intersection of Butner Road and Camp Creek Parkway in South Fulton continues to cause anxiety for people who cross over it.
“My kids are even nervous as we approach that intersection, Mykah Richards said.
Richards, the HOA president at The Villas at Camp Creek, said they’re frustrated with dealing with the deadly intersection blocks away. The board has started collecting signatures to show the Georgia Department of Transportation they feel something needs to be done.”
“When you’re coming down Butner Road, when there’s no turn signal, people stop, and other cars will go around you," Richards said. "It makes for a very difficult and dangerous intersection. That, accompanied by the speed, causes a lot of detrimental car accidents.”
The most recent crash last Thursday took the life of Atlanta Police Officer Bennie Hardeman.
“It’s very tragic," City of South Fulton Councilwoman Carmalitha Gumbs said.
The intersection is in Gumbs' district. She said Hardeman's death has renewed the effort to push GDOT for improvements at the intersection, and talks have been going on for years. The intersection is on state roads, so the City of South Fulton can't make improvements on its own.
“There has been a number of horrific traffic accidents, and it’s time for GDOT to act. We can’t afford to lose any more lives on these streets," Gumbs said.
Forty-one crashes have happened at the intersection, with three deaths and nine injuries since 2018, according to the City of South Fulton Police Department. Eighty-four people have received traffic citations.
Gumbs is asking GDOT for three specific things to reduce crashes at the intersection.
“We are asking for a left-turn signal to also be a hard signal where people don’t have to take a mad dash to cross over to Camp Creek Parkway," Gumbs said.
Gumbs would also like a speed study and a lower speed limit.
“Ask themselves would you like to cross an intersection where your life is at risk? How about your family members, your friends?” Richards said.
11Alive reached out to GDOT for a statement, but we haven’t gotten one so far.