Gracie Fusco
•8/4/2026
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WINK) — A Port Charlotte community says it's tired of waiting for safety improvements at a busy intersection.
Residents who live near Centennial Boulevard and U.S. 41 say they've seen too many serious crashes during the past few years, and they're asking the Florida Department of Transportation to act before someone else gets hurt. Neighbors say their biggest concern is trying to get onto U.S. 41 from Centennial Boulevard.
They say heavy traffic, limited visibility and drivers trying to make U-turns all at the same time create a dangerous situation. A drive through this intersection has become something Christie Froehling dreads.
"Something needs to be done sooner rather than later," Froehling said.
She says the intersection has become a growing safety concern. Froehling says there are too many children in the area for this to be an intersection that's ignored and put off until a later time.
"A lot of the neighbors in the area have voiced their opinion that something has to be done," Froehling said.
Just across the street, Jim Caruthers has owned Murdock Tire for 18 years. He says he's watched the problem get worse.
"When people are leaving, we tell them to go the other way if they have to turn around because that U-turn right there is just plain dangerous," Caruthers said.
Caruthers says he avoids the intersection. He says you can't see down when you're looking, and you can't see the cars coming.
"So you're gonna take a risk and go, and hopefully nobody's there. But usually there's somebody there," Caruthers said.
FDOT says it's currently completing a signal warrant analysis and an intersection control evaluation. The department is discussing a temporary plan to modify the median, which would prohibit left turns from Centennial and Warrington Boulevard onto U.S. 41.
Froehling says she isn't asking for anything extraordinary, just for the intersection to become a higher priority. She says the community wants something proactive instead of reactive.
