MORGANZA, Md. – Prioritize safety and protect lives. That’s what concerned citizens of St. Mary’s County are urging local authorities and stakeholders to do following a severe traffic accident.
Michael Gallo started a petition on Change.org about the intersection of Route 5, Morganza Turner Road and Colton Point Road in Morganza.
Recently, a driver tried to cross over the intersection without fully stopping. Both drivers, including a student-athlete, were severely injured and life-flighted to a trauma center.
“This incident left our community shaken and deeply concerned about the lack of proper traffic control measures in place,” wrote Gallo.
Gallo is urging the county to install a traffic light. Right now there isn’t one and it’s posing significant risks for pedestrians, bikers and motorists. He adds that there isn’t adequate signage or signals in the area.
Shanteé Felix is the Media Relations Manager for the Maryland Department of Transportation and the State Highway Administration. She says the SHA will conduct a safety and operations review at the MD 5 and Morganza Turner Road/Colton Point Road intersection to determine if a traffic signal is the best solution there.
“Additionally, State Highway Administration traffic engineers will review the intersection to determine if there are other measures that can be implemented to help improve intersection operations,” says Felix.
So far, the petition has been signed by 449 people. Christina Morgan is one of those who signed it, saying, “For the safety of our students and fellow community!! It’s a bad intersection!”
There have been five crashes at that intersection between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, three of which resulted in injuries.
The 2023 data is still preliminary, but as of September 26, there have been no fatal crashes at this location.
If you would like to sign the petition, click here.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
Won’t do any good because people stop on green and go on red
5 and they are calling for a light? There’s many other areas that see more accidents than that that need more attention than this area. If anything just make it a roundabout. Definitely doesn’t need to be a light there.
“Recently, a driver tried to cross over the intersection without fully stopping. ”
So…a traffic light is going to stop someone from ‘ not completely stopping ‘? Will there be a railroad ‘drop down arm’ too?
Let’s save some money…and just follow the driving laws currently in place
Here here!! Smartest post on the forum.
Put a speed camera there. The issue is it is a 30 mph zone that very few people slow down for.
With the hill on either side of the intersection, it is a bad place for a light
Nope.
We told the officials to not allow the new development as it would cause crashes … they didn’t listen. We told the local officials not to allow the mining operation … they didn’t listen.
No one is listening to your comments here either.
But yet you did and felt the need to reply to it……..
Sure did. No one is listening. Still.
That makes absolutely zero sense no clue, you are literally responding to it but reply with nobody is listening, yet again you continue to read it
No one listens to a post. They read them.
No.
No more unnecessary lights. That’s a prime intersection for a traffic circle, so get the state to build one of those instead.
Stop letting the State cop out by building lights when legit infrastructure improvements are what are required.
The historic cemetery and the creek at the bottom make it difficult for a traffic circle (and the housing on the corner that I believe is part of the parish-). It comes down to drivers paying attention.
“including a student-athlete” …why is that fact relevant to the story?
I guess what you’re trying to say is that a concern about an accident isn’t enough of a concern. By the way, crosswalks are not available upon request.
@Anonymous What does a crosswalk have to do with the accident mentioned in the article?
Read the article, then reply, it’s obviously in black and white above
@Anonymous I re-read the article… didn’t see any mention of a pedestrian involved incident…with the latest accident or the five ‘accidents’ between Jan 2020 – Dec 2022. Maybe YOU should re-read the article.
Or just use some common sense and turn it into a circle? Doesn’t stop traffic and just as safe or safer.
Maybe the driver should have come to a full stop on Morganza Turner road. Look both ways and go when it is safe. Stop light isn’t going to prevent poor driving.
Impatient drivers cause the crashes, not a “ lack of proper traffic control measures.” Speed limit through here is 30 m.p.h. which I rarely see drivers abiding by.
there is a reason to go the speed limit. The insurance doesn’t tell you, the DMV doesn’t tell you, the police don’t tell you, [the judge doesn’t tell you], but there is a reason to go the speed limit.
So you want a light but people cant follow the rules of the road to begin with? ooookaaaay. not gonna fix it. start slamming these idiots that drive like crap.