GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There are continued concerns about the safety of drivers at a Grand Rapids intersection 13 ON YOUR SIDE first told you about on Tuesday. The city tells us now that original plans to repaint the intersection by the end of this week have been pushed back.
At the intersection of Fuller Avenue NE and 3 Mile Road NE, the lanes currently do not match up correctly, forcing drivers to shift in the middle of the intersection.
Jeff Hoodhood has lived near the intersection for 43 years and says he's ever seen driver confusion like he has this week.
"Horns honking and people getting flipped off," he says. "It's just unbelievable. They don't know what to do."
The city says the dramatic lane shift causing issues is because of road projects on each side of 3 Mile conducted separately from each other.
"That's just left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing," says Hoodhood.
And originally, the city expected to fix it by the end of this week.
On Thursday, a spokesperson tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE that won't happen. Engineers are choosing between three different layouts and because of safety concerns they want to take the necessary time to evaluate and select an appropriate design.
"I just hope it's not too late and it ends up being tragic for somebody," says Hoodhood.
The redesign now won't be done until next week, and Hoodhood worries he'll hear a crash from his home.
"You hear that sound, that thud, you will never forget it. I know when I hear it, we just had an accident," says Hoodhood.
He encourages drivers to take it slow and pay attention while traveling through the intersection, and hopes the city will plan better the next time it reconfigures driving lanes.
"I would like to see the city just spend a little bit more time and think about before they actually do it," he says.
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