BATON ROUGE - There's a traffic light coming to an intersection along Highland Road that has recently been the scene of several traffic incidents and water rescues.

After several meetings and hours of discussion between council members, the City of Baton Rouge, the City of St. George and residents living in the area, MOVEBR is moving forward with signalizing the intersection of Highland Road and Pecue Lane at the Valhalla Subdivision.

The hope is that adding a traffic signal and additional lighting will make the area safer to travel.

Joe Territo is the Pecue, Perkins & Highland HOA President. He has been working with the parish to improve the design of the intersection for several years. He's grown accustomed to listening for sirens and says his family avoids the intersection.

"You hear the sirens all the time and when do they stop? When they get to this intersection," said Territo.

On several occasions, vehicles have ended up in the ditch along Pecue Lane or in one of the ponds on either side of Valhalla Boulevard. The St. George Fire Protection District has responded to 10 incidents in the past year. 

"We're pretty much good for one incident a month at that intersection," said St. George Fire spokesperson Meg Kling.

Twice this year, St. George Fire Protection District has responded and had to put on rapid dive gear to enter the water to ensure occupants were out of submerged vehicles. Last October, a young mom died and her child was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Other incidents have caused moderate to minimal injuries. Baton Rouge EMS reports a dozen incidents at the intersection in the past year. 

"You've got this skewed intersection with Pecue Lane," said Territo.

Turning left off of Highland Road onto Pecue Lane is a near 45-degree angle. Cars, often unaware of the sharp turn drive into the wrong lane, narrowly missing an oncoming car. Distracted driving also plays a part. 

EBR Parish Transportation and Drainage Director Fred Raiford says the signal project will get started later this year and is a more cost-effective alternative to the other designs which included a roundabout. 

"This is the best approach, from a safety standpoint, to signalize the intersection," said Raiford.

It's also the most efficient. Raiford says the signal project will get started in the latter part of 2025 by acquiring the necessary property. In the meantime, since the accidents don't appear to be slowing down, Raiford is making plans for temporary lighting and has submitted paperwork to Entergy.

"I want that place to light up so people can at least see where they're going," he said.

Right now, there is limited street lighting in the area. When the intersection project is completed, there will be dedicated turn lanes and permanent street lights to accompany the traffic signals.