Flowers and chalked messages of memory and loss still mark the place where two roads meet and a number of people have lost their lives over the past 30 years.

Now highway officials have taken steps to make that corner safer and minimize the chances of more such tragedies.

At the intersection of Mount Carmel Church and Bethlehem Church roads, one Moore County schoolteacher nearly burned to death last October in a fiery crash, saved only by the heroic action of a former student who crawled into her blazing vehicle to cut her teacher free. Two years ago, two popular North Moore High School students, Ashley LeGrand and Hannah Seawell, died in car crash there.

Almost 30 years ago, another wreck at that intersection claimed the lives of three Robbins residents.

In every case, the cause appeared to be the same: Traffic on Mount Carmel Church Road failed to heed the stop sign at the intersection, perhaps failing to notice it in time, and proceeded across Bethlehem Church Road directly into the paths of other vehicles.

Hills and curves on all four approaches to the intersection add to the danger.

In an earlier attempt to make the intersection less hazardous, the N.C. Department of Transportation installed “Stop Ahead” signs and added speed bumps, to increase warning time. Still, accidents and close calls continued.

Public outcry calling for action grew, and, at an estimated cost of $20,000, the state installed new warning signs and added new beacons earlier this year. Now, bright warning lights flash atop the stop signs and a caution light over the intersection blinks to warn approaching traffic to stop before entering the intersection.

Robbins Mayor Mickey Brown said he’s been down many times to look at the changes. His wife travels through that intersection twice a day on her way to and from her job at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

“It’s hard to miss, now,” he told The Pilot. “It gives people warning before time. Coming from either side on Mount Carmel Church Road, it has that flashing light.”

Brown commended the state DOT for making this dangerous intersection safer.

“A lot of the praise for getting that done would have to go to G. R. Kindley (a member of state Board of Transportation),” Brown said. “I know he had a great hand in getting that done quickly. That is the fastest I’ve ever seen government move in anything.”

Kindley, a former mayor of Rockingham, serves as Division 8 member of the N.C. Board of Transportation.

Brown told The Pilot that when it comes to saving lives, this is the way government is supposed to work.

“I was very proud of the way it worked,” Brown said. “All these people were connected with us in our lives.”

Brown went to school with the parents of one of the girls killed at that intersection two years ago and the aunt of the other girl.