DeLAND, Fla. – The Florida Department of Transportation said on Thursday that construction on the roundabout planned for a deadly intersection will start immediately.
The change comes days after a grandmother and three young children were killed in a fiery crash in DeLand.
[READ: FDOT letter | SCROLL below for crash info, council report]
"FDOT will be moving forward immediately with the design and construction of a roundabout at the intersection of State Road 44 and Grand Avenue," FDOT said in a release.
In the meantime, FDOT said they will be installing a temporary traffic signal at SR 44 and Grand Avenue.
Sheriff Ben Johnson said there were already plans to build a roundabout at the intersection of Grand and New York avenues, but Johnson and the city council agreed that they don't want to wait for that to happen.
Though officials are still working to identify the victims, father Jeff Thomas said his two daughters Aryana Thomas, 2, and Jadyn Thomas, 4, were killed in the crash. The family also told News 6 the girls' grandmother, Sandra Lopes, and their cousin Aleah Bridges, 4, were also killed.
Statistics show there have been 28 crashes at the intersection in the last three years, with 15 ending in injuries, not including Tuesday's crash.
The Florida Department of Transportation acknowledged that because of the increased amount in traffic that the intersection is dangerous and put a plan in place to build a roundabout there after doing a study earlier this year.
Johnson said there is no time to waste and something needs to be done now. The council agreed to draft a letter of urgency to the state.
"Very encouraging but not surprising the county council is always looking for what's best for the citizens," said Johnson. "This is one of those tragedies that normally you don't have this kind of tragedy, but at that intersection you are going to have a tragedy you are going to have them again. You are going to have more wrecks again and this brought it to the front that we have to do something and I'm hoping we can get the state on board."
The council said FDOT has been studying traffic at the intersection since 2007.
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Report-SR44 & Grand-Update (1)