SANDYFIELD – The state Transportation Department is recommending the construction of a roundabout at a Columbus County intersection to improve safety and traffic flow.
The department is seeking public comment on its proposal to construct the circular intersection at N.C. 11 and Old Lake Road. Construction on the $1.4 million project is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023.
People can learn more about the proposal and submit questions and feedback about it at this NCDOT webpage.
The N.C. Department of Transportation converted the intersection into an all-way stop last summer as an interim safety step, after an analysis showed there have been 13 injury crashes and one deadly crash in that intersection from 2014-2019. Most of them occurred when drivers on Old Lake Road failed to yield to traffic on N.C. 11.
Roundabouts have shown to reduce overall crashes by 41% across the state, and they improve traffic flow by eliminating the stop-and-go nature of a conventional all-way. People can learn more at the NCDOT's roundabout page.
Anyone with questions or comments about the proposal may use the project page online or directly contact John Gauthier, project manager, by jbgauthier@ncdot.gov or 910-364-0603.
Comments received by March 15 will be considered toward the final design.