MURPHY – Cherokee County residents, visitors and business owners are invited to learn about the benefits of roundabouts and reduced conflict intersections — transportation designs that increase safety and reduce congestion.
The informational session will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 23 at First Baptist Church at 517 Hiawassee Street in Murphy. A short presentation will be delivered at 5 p.m., repeated at 6 p.m., and followed by a short question and answer session.
Engineers with the N.C. Department of Transportation will explain why and how these two type of designs improve a community’s transportation network.
The NCDOT is constructing more roundabouts and reduced conflict intersections around the state where they are warranted and needed. Both designs dramatically reduce the risk of serious crashes, and they aid in helping drivers reach their destinations quicker.
Roundabouts also help reduce the congestion and backups more typical of traditional intersections with stop signs and traffic signals.
A reduced conflict intersection, sometimes called a superstreet or a median U-turn, simplifies how traffic is moved through the area, reducing travel delays and improving safety. In the most common design, drivers on the side street turn right to enter the flow of traffic. To go in another direction, the drivers, after turning right, enter a nearby dedicated lane to make a U-turn.
Summary information about roundabouts can be found online, and so can information about RCIs.