Neighbors say nearby Nogales Highway is dangerous

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Carmen Romero is afraid of the busy road right outside of her home on South Nogales Highway in Tucson.

She says she won't walk on the gravel space off the side of the road, but she sees other people do it on their way to the nearby convenience store for essentials. Walking along South Nogales Highway is too dangerous, especially at night, she says.

"We need lights out here," she said.

There are two street lights between East Valencia and East Los Reales roads.

A woman was hit and killed in September near Romero's home between Aragon and Elvira roads. Joshua Ochoa was charged for the hit-and-run crash and the death of 38-year-old Marisa Robles. The woman's daughter was hurt in the crash as well and rushed to hospital.

Since that deadly crash, police in Tucson have responded to 46 other crash or DUI calls on the stretch of highway between Valencia and Teton roads.

The data obtained by Tucson News Now shows an average of slightly more than five calls per month in the five-block stretch.

More than a quarter of the 46 calls were reported at night or in the early morning, according to the Tucson Police Department's records.

It's too many, Romero says, and she's calling on the city of Tucson to improve safety for pedestrians along the road.

A guard rail would be a good start, in order to keep any crashes or debris from flying into the nearby homes, she said.

"There will be one where the car rolls over in one of the trailers," she said. "That will be sad."

There are no plans to add lights or make any other changes to that stretch of South Nogales Highway, said Mike Graham, spokesman for the city's transportation department.

Romero said she can't believe it.

"They should do something, look at how many accidents it is," she said. "Does it happen anywhere else like that? As many times like that?"

She's gathered some signatures for a petition and plans to send a letter to her local representative, Councilwoman Regina Romero.

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