BURLINGTON — The intersection at Charley Creek Road has been identified as one of the most dangerous along U.S. 52 and State Route 7, according to the KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission.

The intersection is just one of about 25 that is being looked at by KYOVA, a Huntington, W.Va.-based nonprofit association that accesses and acts upon transportation problems in southwestern West Virginia and southern Ohio.

KYOVA is in the middle of a $300,000 safety study aimed at identifying and correcting problem areas along U.S. 52 and State Route 7, stretching from the Scioto/Lawrence county line to the village of Athalia.

Saleem Salameh, KYOVA technical director/transportation engineer, said four of the top 25 danger spots found by the study are in Burlington.

The most serious is at Charley Creek Road, followed by Wal-Mart Way, Sandusky Road and Burlington-Macedonia Road, Salameh said. They are ranked based on the severity and frequency of crashes, if serious injuries or fatalities result from the crashes as well as other factors.

Salameh said the Charley Creek intersection is the most dangerous, but the one at Burlington-Macedonia will be replaced in the early summer because it is more cost effective and easier to do so.

It will cost about $100,000 to redesign the intersection, install wireless signals and add other safety features, Salameh said. There have been 18 crashes at Burlington-Macedonia intersection. The other three problem areas on U.S. 52 in Burlington will take much more in-depth reconfiguration, which means they will cost much more, Salameh explained.

He said the lights at all of the Burlington intersections need to be retimed. There is an “urgent need “ to do so, Salameh.

The KYOVA safety study currently being conducted should be finished by August, Salameh said. The group is studying each of the 25 intersections that have been identified as dangerous and are ranking them based on he seriousness of the issues at the sites.

The study is running concurrent with another KYOVA study exploring a mass transit system that would establish bus service throughout the Tri-State, including stops in Huntington, Ashland and Ironton, as well as a handful of community agencies and businesses.

KYOVA has about $65 million to improve safety and enhance the lives of motorists in the region.