A truck crash in the woods off Interstate-10 in Milton last weekend has prompted residents to speak out on what they say is a constant issue in their neighborhood.
Slalom Drive is less than a mile from the interstate. The road leads to a private subdivision, Ski Watch Estates, but big rig drivers often mistaken the turning lane for an exit.
Longtime neighbors say the problem has gone on for years and they’re blaming a single sign along the highway that they say could resolve the problem.
The recent crash happened Sunday. Witnesses say an 18-wheeler was traveling at a good speed down Slalom Drive when the driver crashed right through the woods.Neighbors called 911 as the truck was so far in the woods that the driver was trapped in the cab.
“Had somebody come around that 90-degree blind corner right when this truck was barreling down, that would’ve been really bad,” resident D W said.
White says he’s not surprised to see the wreck.
Three years ago, w says their custom subdivision sign was destroyed by a big rig driver in a hit-and-run after the driver is believed to have mistakenly taken the road and tried turning around.
Since then, the county has posted signs to alert drivers there’s no access to I-10 from the road. White says it’s slowed the problem slightly, but still a regular occurrence.
WEAR News captured residents repairing the damaged area on Tuesday.
“Probably daily, one of our residents is following a truck, a resident is trying to turn into our entrance and the truck is in the wrong lane and lost,” W said. “Their signal light is on, they’re lost, they don’t nowhere to go.”
“There’s nowhere to turn around and they try to turn around in our entrance way and destroy our sign and our landscaping,” he added. “And this happens routinely.”
There’s one suggestion that many neighbors feel could fix the problem overnight. They want to see the I-10 West turn arrow moved away from their street.
Where the sign is now, residents feel strongly that the problem will continue if nothing is done.
“It appears the sign is directing turn right now. Where actually you have to go another 100-200 feet to even see the on-ramp,” W said. “So if that sign were moved another 100 feet closer to the on-ramp to the point where a trucker can see the on-ramp before they see the sign, then they’ll go past Handleman and onto the right road.”
WEAR News reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation. It says its traffic operations team will review the area for possible adjustments.
Residents are adamant they don’t want any other business in the area as they believe it would cause traffic problems.
In 2023, WEAR News reported that QuikTrip gas station was hoping to build on a lot at the intersection.
Its initial zoning request was denied, but they had other land they planned to build.
After residents overwhelmingly opposed the plans, commissioner Kerry Wright said there won’t be any new gas stations at the intersection in the near future.
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Source: weartv
