BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) – The stop light near Childs and Fort Crook was taken out during the windstorm, now drivers say the temporary stop signs are a safety hazard
- The stop light has been out since the windstorm and now officials say it won't be fixed for at least 6 months
- The temporary fix is small foldable stop signs, some drivers say they can't see
- "Someone is going to get killed eventually, we have seen a lot of people run that stop sign"
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A busy intersection that drivers tell KMTV has turned dangerous.
At the intersection of Fort Crook and Childs, this stop light has been out since the windstorm and officials are saying it won’t be fixed for at least another six months.
Here at the corner in Bellevue, these small foldable stop signs are a temporary fix but problems are here.
Bob Peetz works next to the intersections and says everyday there are close calls and some days there have even been some accidents.
"There’s been several accidents some of them fairly serious. I’ve dodged cars a couple of times over the past month," Peetz said.
While some drivers may be taking the stop signs as a suggestion, others just may not even see them.
Drivers, like Melvin Johnson, say the low stop signs are barely visible, especially once the sun goes down.
"At night time the place is dark and those stop signs are sitting very low and you have drivers distracted using phones and different things, radios, like I said I have seen them blow through that stop sign.,” Johnson said. “They need some kind of flashing light there.”
Bellevue neighbors have been contacting the city asking for a fix since the light broke.
But now, officials are saying the stop light won’t be fixed for at least six months, but it could take up to nine due to wait times on parts.
Up to nine months of drivers rolling through the stop signs, if they even see them at all, while others slam on their break to avoid an accident.
But neighbors say something needs to be done before that and it’s only a matter of time until someone gets seriously hurt or worse.
"That’s ridiculous, that’s just not expectable. I mean someone is going to get killed eventually, we have seen a lot of people run that stop sign," Peetz said.
Drivers say they want a better solution while they wait for the for a permanent fix, but the city says it’s unsure what it’s going to do with the intersection in the meantime.
City officials say they are just as frustrated with the wait times and are looking at temporary solutions.
