More than 80 crashes recorded on small stretch of Eastway Drive since 2017

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Newly released numbers from the North Carolina Department of Transportation shed some light on neighbors concerns about crashes along a busy stretch of road in East Charlotte.

WBTV reported this year about concern about a stretch of Eastway Drive between The Plaza and Commercial Avenue. That stretch is just over .2 of a mile.

After requesting crash data for that stretch, WBTV has obtained those numbers.

According to NCDOT, there have been more than 80 crashes along that short stretch from 2017 until the beginning of Febuary of 2019. The report says 42 crashes happened in 2017 and 37 crashes happened in 2018.

“I am not surprised by the numbers at all," said Natalie Johnson who lives along that stretch of road. “Make it so you can’t make a left turn here. I think something definitely needs to be done.”

A deeper dive into the numbers reveal that of the 79 crashes reported in 2017-2018, not one was deadly. A majority of the crashes were injury crashes or property damage crashes.

“I see accidents all the time,” said Tasha Carr, who lives along that stretch of road. “It is alarming because my kids have to cross the street to catch the school bus and come to. I have to literally be out there watching them.”

The total number of property damage down in the two year period is nearly $350,000, according to the report.

NCDOT caution to look at the bigger picture and not just the number. According to the report, the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) number of drivers is 21,000 with more than 15.3 million people traveling through that stretch of Eastway over the past two years. The shear volume of drivers will lend to more crashes.

However, people that live in that area say they want the state to do something like put in a light, median, or reduce the speed limit.

“I would just hate for someone to lose their life over something that could possibly be prevented with a slab of concrete and a light,” said Johnson.

NCDOT says they review stretches of road like this when the media, law enforcement, or residents report a change in accidents or traffic patterns.

However, a spokesperson for the department says this data does not warrant a change currently. That could change in the future.

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