FDOT moves up plans to address intersection near Nease High after teens critically hurt

Action News Jax is learning about new plans to protect students at an intersection where two teenage sisters were critically injured.

Nease High School students and sisters Mackenzie and Sydney Felmet were trying to make a left hand turn at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Ray Road when they were T-boned and critically injured on Monday.

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Parent Alfred Sanders, a member of the Nease High School Parent, Teacher and Student Organization, said he's been trying to get officials to address the intersection.

"As a parent, I’ve driven through that intersection many times and I was just amazed at how dangerous it was,” he said.

On Wednesday, Action News Jax learned the Florida Department of Transportation is working to move up plans to improve the intersection.

Sanders said he’s been working for years to bring the state, county and school district together to make the intersection safer.

Sanders says if everything goes right, a traffic light will soon be installed.

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"It’s going to cost over a million dollars to actually implement the light," he said.

Sanders said preliminary plans also widen Ray Road by adding a second eastbound lane.

FDOT told Action News Jax on Tuesday that the agency was working to add a traffic light by the end of 2017.

On Wednesday, FDOT said it is aiming to get the project started in early 2017.

Sanders said for many parents, the project can't start soon enough.

He said he hopes efforts to direct traffic at the intersection will be expanded to help prevent another crash from happening.

He said until a traffic light is installed, he'd also like to see officials stop allowing left-hand turns at the intersection.

He said it's just too difficult to see and judge traffic.

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