TAMPA, Fla. — There have been over 80 traffic fatalities this year in Tampa, making it one of the more dangerous places in the nation to drive, walk or bike.  

And one South Tampa intersection is getting a closer look after a crash there last week claimed the lives of two teenagers.

Plant High School students Benjamin Francis, 17, and Taylor Koulouris, 15, died after the motorcycle they were riding collided with a vehicle at Bay-to-Bay Boulevard and Lois Avenue.

Several of the students' friends gathered this week at the intersection to remember their friends and ask for changes.

“We’re hoping they put up a red light so something like this doesn’t happen again,” said Francis’ friend Adam Enajibi. “But we’re all just here to support (them).”

The intersection of Bay-to-Bay and Lois is unique.

Bay-to-Bay is a county-managed road, despite being within city limits. The city maintains Lois Ave. That means the roads are managed by different jurisdictions and different budgets.  

According to Spectrum Bay News 9’s partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, county and city officials have been seeking funding to improve the intersection for years. Temporary measures discussed include a pedestrian-activated crossing, like a rectangular flashing beacon — similar to the beacons installed on Bayshore Boulevard after deadly crashes there.

“No one can see,” Enajibi said about the intersection. “While we’ve been standing out here, there’s been almost more accidents. Close calls. It’s a very bad intersection.”

The cost of a traffic signal at Bay to Bay and Lois is estimated at $550,000.

“He loved just making people feel good,” Enajibi said about his friend. “And he always made you laugh, and he was just such an amazing person.”