Troublesome intersection under study

Published 9:41 pm Friday, January 21, 2022

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AHOSKIE – Town officials here plan to study a troublesome intersection where a recent auto accident left a local woman injured.

The victim of that accident, Colette Smith, addressed members of the Ahoskie Town Council at their regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 11.

Smith told the Council members that she was involved in an accident on Dec. 31 at the intersection of Hayes and Catherine Street. She mentioned other accidents have occurred on occasion at that same intersection, one where there is a stop sign for motorists traveling east and west on Hayes Street.

“My car is a total loss,” Smith said. “Thank God that I only had an injury to my lip and my thumb is swollen. I also had my head and neck x-rayed.”

Smith said she was traveling north on Catherine Street, heading to a service at Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, at the time of the accident.

“The other driver did not stop at the stop sign on Hayes Street and ran into my car,” Smith alleged.

She added that a similar accident occurred the very next week at the same intersection.

“I’m over 60-years-old and as long as I can remember there have been accidents down there,” Smith noted. “I can’t remember if anyone has been killed there, but something needs to be done there before someone does get killed. Would you please consider doing something at that intersection because the stop sign [on Hayes Street] isn’t doing it.”

Both of the streets Smith referenced are owned and maintained by the Town of Ahoskie.

“Can we put a four-way stop there,” asked Councilman Charles Reynolds.

“If the Council so chooses,” Town Manager Kerry McDuffie replied. “If ya’ll would like for the police department to look at it and come back with a recommendation at next month’s meeting then we can certainly do that.”

The Council agreed to McDuffie’s suggestion and will discuss the issue again at their Feb. 8 meeting.

About Cal Bryant

Cal Bryant, a 40-year veteran of the newspaper industry, serves as the Editor at Roanoke-Chowan Publications, publishers of the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald, Gates County Index, and Front Porch Living magazine.

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