CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Jacksonville’s Oakleaf neighborhood is exploding with new development and some people who live in the area are concerned the roadways aren’t equipped to handle the heavy volume of traffic. One area of concern is near the intersection of Old Middleburg Road and Argyle Forest Boulevard, just north of the Clay County border.
Melanie, who didn’t want us to use her last name, lives in the area with her family.
“It’s just getting out of control. There are cars disobeying the traffic laws, running lights, it’s crazy,” she said.
Melanie and her two kids were recently stuck in terrible traffic during dismissal for Enterprise Learning Academy on Old Middleburg Road around 3 p.m. She said it’s bumper-to-bumper every day and extends down to the intersection of Argyle Forest Blvd.
“It took like eight cycles before I could even get through that light where the school is,” Melanie said.
A traffic sign near the shopping center that had recently been plowed over is evidence of the high number of traffic incidents in the area.
We contacted the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and found officers responded to dozens of accidents at the intersection in 2018 and 2019. So far in 2019, there have been 46 incidents, including a DUI crash.
Here’s the breakdown:
2019
46 incidents at the intersection
3 hit-and-run crashes
36 crashes without injuries
7 crashes with injuries
1 crash involving drunk driver
2018
45 incidents at the intersection
4 hit-and-run crashes
25 crashes without injuries
16 crashes with injuries
With more development at the Oakleaf Town Center, a new hospital, fire station and new neighborhoods still in the works, Melanie said something’s got to give.
“They need to do something about it quickly before someone kills themselves,” she said.
Melanie also has a 15-year-old child she’s worried about.
“I am truly terrified for him to be a driver with all of this,” she added.
News4Jax reached out to JSO to find out if anything is being done to curb the crashes in this area. So far we haven’t heard back.