Teen's death along US-70 in Hillsborough reignites push for safety improvements

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Malkiya Rochelle lives by the stretch of US-70 in Hillsborough where in September, a car slammed into and killed a teenager.

"It's always a lot of traffic, and you definitely have to be careful because a lot of cars are speeding," Rochelle said.

The dangerous road is one of the reasons why she said she doesn't let her 5-year-old son play too far outside from the house.

"Only in front of the steps, because where I live, there is a cut where cars come through," Rochelle said. "I don't want him playing right there and a car just racing through and hit him and not being able to see him with him being so small."

For Darryl Mayo who works at the Hillsborough Coin Laundry, he's seen many close calls at the intersection of Cornelius St. and Faucette Mill Road.

"They (drivers) just don't pay attention sometimes," Mayo said.

The Hillsborough Coin Laundry and Rochelle's neighborhood are right along the stretch of US-70 where according to NCDOT crash data, there have been at least four fatal injury crashes over the past decade.

Although town officials said they've discussed improvements, such as high quality pedestrian crosswalks, signals and paved paths separate from the roadway surface, there is no funding secured or improvements scheduled for US-70 bypass yet, according to public space and sustainability manager Stephanie Trueblood.

"I know how frustrating the expense and length of transportation projects is but I just wanted to remind you that this corridor is never far from our minds," Trueblood said at the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday.

Trueblood said the town will continue to coordinate with NCDOT and the Durham Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization to position the project for prioritization when funding is available.

"I do see this every day, the number of people walking," commissioner Kathleen Ferguson said. "It's a bad situation, so I know that for this board and staff, this has been a priority."