EASTOVER – A roundabout nearing completion east of Fayetteville will require an intersection to close for about a month starting Thursday.
An N.C. Department of Transportation contractor began constructing the roundabout at Baywood and Murphy roads in the spring. The department has agreed to close the intersection so the project can be completed quicker and safer.
A signed detour will send drivers onto Sanderosa Road, Murphy Road (going over I-95), Dunn Road and Draughon Road.
The intersection is scheduled to reopen by Nov. 26, when drivers can begin using the new roundabout. A final layer of pavement and permanent lane markings will be added to the intersection later.
Roundabouts improve safety because motorists slow down going through them, moving in a counter-clockwise direction. The design also eliminates the stop-and-go nature of a traditional intersection.
NCDOT has created a short video and webpage explaining how drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists should use a roundabout.
According to a report last year by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, these kind of intersection improvements reduce fatalities and serious-injury collisions by almost 30 percent.