SMITHFIELD – Nine intersections across Johnston County will be converted into all-way stops to improve safety.
The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded this month a $545,000 contract to Highway Traffic Control Inc. of Durham to install the all-ways stops at the following intersections:
- N.C. 50 at Woods Crossroads Road
- N.C. 39 at Little Devine Road/Browns Pond Road
- N.C. 222 at Antioch Church Road
- N.C. 96 at Earpsboro Road
- N.C. 231 at N.C. 222/Buck Road
- N.C. 42 at Thanksgiving Fire Road
The contractor can begin between August and October, and once started, will have seven months to complete the improvements. The contractor has the flexibility to make the changes in any order, but typically will do one on Wednesdays. The contractor will be required to notify the public with signs before the change is made.
Drivers who encounter these intersections on the day of installation should slow down, be cautious and follow directions from flaggers directing traffic.
The department's traffic engineers evaluated the intersections and determined they warranted all-way stops to reduce the risk of crashes. The typical crash pattern involved drivers who had failed to yield, crashing into vehicles that did not have to stop at the intersection.
An all-way stop reduces the intersection's crashes by 68%, according to NCDOT data. More information, including how to navigate an all-way stop, can be found online