PHOENIX — There will soon be changes to an intersection in Phoenix that many describe as dangerous.
Neighbors have been complaining for years about red-light runners and speeding drivers at 7th and Southern avenues. Now, big upgrades are on the way.
"You just see them drive right past that red light," says Luis Cibrian, a salesman at Mil Amores Tire Shop.
Those living and working near the intersection tell ABC15 that crashes happen far too often.
"I've even had one coming from east to west and hit our light post and it knocked it off," says Cibrian.
Luis Cibrian has witnessed countless crashes since he's been working at Mil Amores Tire Shop, on that corner, for six years now.
"Some of our customers, they pull out, and they get rear-ended sometimes from incoming traffic or if not, the customer itself," says Cibrian.
He is one of the many people with major concerns and after years of asking for upgrades, the City of Phoenix is now delivering. Officials say they plan to spend $350,000 to $400,000 on additional left turn lanes and turn arrows in an effort to curb the number of crashes and improve traffic flow.
"The four-way is going to help people a lot, because I don't know why they seem to not know how to drive, and when to turn and when not to turn," says Cibrian.
The design phase is scheduled to begin next month, with a completion date of early next year.
Joanna Vasquez says that can't come soon enough.
"Several accidents, a couple at least. There's a corner house and it's been hit a couple times that I've seen in the last year, at least," says Joanna Vasquez, who lives nearby.
Joanna drives through this neighborhood every day to drop off and pick up her daughter Violet from daycare.
"These intersections are super crowded. Sometimes, instead of hitting that intersection, I go the other way because it's just too, too much oncoming traffic," says Vasquez.
She even drives an extra mile to avoid it altogether and hopes that will help keep her family safe.