WKYT Investigates: Crashes near Jacobson Park
State working on $13 million project to improve safety on Richmond Road & Athens Boonesboro Road
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Several people are recovering after two separate crashes happened near a Lexington park in the span of just a few hours on Monday.
The crashes outside of Jacobson Park come on the heels of another crash there that cost a man his life.
Four people were taken to the hospital after crashes on Monday night. At around 4:30 p.m., Lexington Police say one car flipped over in a two-car crash. One person was taken to the hospital.
Just hours later, two cars crashed outside of the park. Three people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Crash history at park entrance
Kentucky State Police crash data shows there have been at least 55 crashes near the entrance to Jacobson Park since the beginning of January 2022.
Last month, a motorcycle crash in the area killed one man and sent four other people to the hospital.
Athens Boonesboro Road crash data
Looking at Athens Boonesboro Road as a whole, there have been more than 300 crashes since 2022, according to data from Kentucky State Police. 97 people were hurt in those crashes, and three people were killed.
115 of the crashes happened at intersections. Those crashes left 35 people hurt and killed one person.
Safety improvements underway
A $13 million project is underway to make intersections along the road safer. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is working to add restricted crossing U-turns, or RCUTs, at several intersections, including the one outside of Jacobson Park.
In an RCUT, everyone pulling out turns right. Then drivers who need to go left or get across the street will get into the far left lane and make a U-turn. KYTC said they’re proven to reduce crashes and increase traffic flow.
Work on the project started last June. It’s scheduled to be completed in December.
You can find more information on the project here.
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