ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — As recent traffic changes continue to reverberate across Asheville, N.C., one alteration has proven to be a more difficult adjustment than others: the removal of the U-turn at the intersection of Patton Avenue and Regent Park Boulevard.
For motorists driving west on Patton Avenue, the Regent Park Boulevard intersection has long served as a U-turn lane for motorists looking for a swift way back toward downtown Asheville. However, in the wake of a new concrete barrier placed along the median, U-turns are no longer permitted at the site.
Despite new signage forbidding U-turns at the light, drivers have continued to attempt the left turn, leading to an increase of tickets and collisions.
Collision statistics
According to the Rick Rice, public information officer for the Asheville Police Department, three major collisions have occurred at the intersection since May 6, 2026 alone.
“However, it is worth noting that this intersection is within an area known for frequent collisions throughout the year,” Rice wrote in a statement. “Just at that intersection, there are usually 18 collisions a year. If you consider the broader area, which includes a blind hill off I-240 WB and the drivers exiting off 3A merging all three lanes to get to the intersection for a turnaround, there are over 100 collisions each year. Which means this area is known to have a collision every 3-4 days.”
In an attempt to inform drivers about the removal of the U-turn option, APD posted a public service announcement to their Facebook page on Wednesday, May 20.
Eyewitness testimony
Such a dangerous intersection necessitates an increase in caution, especially for workers around the area.
Ashley Lawing is an administrative office assistant for HireQuest Direct of Asheville, an employment agency located at 770 Patton Ave. directly adjacent to the Regent Park Boulevard intersection. Lawing said that she has noticed a large uptick in crashes in the area since the concrete barriers were erected.
“Tuesday, at like 5:30 [p.m.], I’m going to put my stuff in my car, and I turn around and I hear this big crash,” Lawing recounted. “Someone did not see it, that there’s no U-turn, and they turned and the other car couldn’t slow down. And there have been so many accidents. But, I called 911, made sure the people was okay.”
Afterward, Lawing said that she spoke to an APD officer at the scene, who asked her for permission to sit in the HireQuest parking lot to catch other U-turn violators.
“He wrote 19 tickets in two hours because of the U-turns, and he had other cops sitting here, so when he pulled away, they would just take his spot and catch the next person,” Lawing reported.
Lawing said that the officer told her that when drivers were cited for attempting the U-turn, they often claimed they did not know they were not permitted.
“But they have it covered,” Lawing said. “I don’t know if you’ve been on that side, but they do have it covered, and says ‘No U-turn,’ ‘Turn into this parking lot.’ Like, you have to go down to the next light.”
Lawing said that the unpredictability of drivers at the intersection has made her feel nervous and unsafe.
“I went out of the parking lot, probably last week, trying to get to Sam’s Club [at the end of Regent Park Boulevard], and when you go straight, people who turn yield. Nobody yielded,” Lawing said. “I almost got hit, and then someone tried to do a U-turn and almost hit me as I’m trying to go straight. I mean, there’s no U-turn. That was just too much at one time. So, yes, it definitely makes me nervous to get on the road.”
Stay safe, Asheville drivers.