NCDOT
will set traffic signals on flash mode over next few days to prepare drivers
RALEIGH -After
months of work, the N.C. Department of
Transportation plans to open to traffic the newly realigned intersection of
Union Cross and Wallburg roads in Forsyth County on Monday, Jan. 14, at 6 a.m.
The revamped intersection will improve safety and help traffic flow more
efficiently through the area.
The new design changes the layout of the intersection.
Previously, Wallburg Road dead ended at Union Cross Road. Because drivers had
to wait at a stop sign before turning onto Union Cross Road or yield to
oncoming traffic before turning onto Wallburg Road, traffic congestion was
common at the intersection during peak travel times.
The new alignment will alleviate that bottleneck. Wallburg
Road will now become Union Cross Road at the intersection, eliminating the turn
and giving motorists more direct access. The new design also shifts the
location of Hayes Road from the U.S. 311/Union Cross Road interchange to the
Union Cross Road/Wallburg Road intersection. The move was necessary to provide
the space needed to widen the U.S. 311/Union Cross Road interchange and build a
wider ramp at the current location.
The new Union Cross Road/Wallburg Road intersection will
feature traffic signals to move vehicles through the area efficiently. The
previous alignment had stop signs only. To prepare motorists for this change,
NCDOT today will set the traffic signals to flash yellow or red, depending on
the direction of travel. The department will change the traffic signals from
flash mode to their regular cycles on Monday morning.
Leading up to the opening, crews will complete paving for
the new alignment, put down pavement markings and install the traffic signals.
This new intersection is part of NCDOT's Union Cross Road Widening
Project. The $30.3 million project will widen 4.2 miles of the road from
Sedge Garden Road north of I-40 to Wallburg Road just south of U.S. 311, and
install the area's first diverging
diamond interchange at I-40. Construction started in April 2012, with final
completion set for Nov. 15, 2015.