Rosemount residents are pushing for repairs to the accident-prone County Road 42 intersection

The sound of another car crash was as jarring as it was familiar, echoing in Albert Padilla’s townhouse one afternoon this year as he watched television

“Immediately,” he recalled, “I knew something had happened.”

He stormed outside and ran without shoes toward the busy intersection of Biscayne Avenue and County Road 42 in southwest Rosemount, where a car appeared to have skidded, he said. Inside, a woman lay trapped between the airbags and the driver’s door.

Padilla and his wife live in a townhouse community on the corner of this busy intersection. Residents and local officials agree that something needs to be done to increase safety in the area. The hub, near a gym, numerous single-family homes and a soon-to-be-built middle school, is a hotspot for collisions: Since January 2019, 56 incidents have occurred at the spot where Biscayne Avenue intersects County Road 42, also known as this area 150th St. W., according to the Rosemount Police Department.

That’s about 11 accidents per year over a period of about five years. And while none were fatal, data shows that 30% of all incidents resulted in injuries.

“As we continue to grow, it gets busier and busier,” said Padilla, who works in Shakopee and drives around the corner morning and evening. “More and more accidents will happen.”

A traffic light is planned for the area in coordination with a new middle school arriving at the southeast corner of the intersection. Officials will also realign a portion of Biscayne Avenue to reduce the crooked alignment that affects visibility. However, the installation and realignment of lighting will not be completed until 2027, frustrating residents who say the interchange now needs renovation.