Students who often drive in the Collegedale/Ooltewah area are probably familiar with the intersection crossing Standifer Gap road and Ooltewah-Ringgold road. They are also probably quite familiar with how aggravating it is to turn at this intersection. Worse yet, this intersection has single-handedly caused forty car accidents since 2008.

One junior, Gaby Hernandez, sums up why this intersection is such a hassle.

“It’s a two way stop sign, so people have to make quick decisions to go or not, and many people go too early or too late.”

It is indeed a problem that could be fixed by putting four stop signs. Another major issue is the apparent slant on Standifer Gap, so drivers approaching from the school need to swerve to the right in order to proceed forward.

Hamilton County officials have begun discussing potential solutions to this problem. The most common suggestion is to build a roundabout, a project that will cost about $180,000. However, Ooltewah-Ringgold is state government property, which means that Hamilton County will need to first seek authorization from the state to make any alterations to the intersection. Then, the county will need to purchase land from the four houses bordering the intersection, a substantial cost.

Despite these deliberations, drivers won’t see any changes made until next year.