NCDOT crews recently installed a mini-roundabout in Swain County.
BRYSON CITY – A new traffic safety feature at the intersection of Walker Woody Road and Hyatt Creek Road sprouted faster than mountain laurel blooms in the spring.
N.C. Department of Transportation crews installed a mini-roundabout this week after identifying the intersection as a priority for a Spot Safety Project. The mini-roundabout will reduce speeds and the conflicts where vehicles could potentially collide. The design also improves traffic flow and eliminates the stop-and-go nature of an all-way stop.
Mini-roundabouts require less area than traditional roundabouts but feature the same benefits — reduced crashes — and function in the same manner. Drivers are to yield to any vehicle (cyclist or pedestrian) in the roundabout and continue moving in a counter-clockwise direction. Large trucks, buses, trucks with trailers can still traverse the intersection by driving on the raised center island, if necessary.
Additional information on roundabouts is available on NCDOT’s website.