DUBLIN – Work will start this summer on constructing a roundabout where N.C. 41 and N.C. 410 cross outside Dublin, thanks to a newly signed a nearly $1.76 million contract. Construction will start in June according to NCDOT.
The N.C. Department of Transportation made the intersection into an all-way stop in the spring of 2017, after a traffic analysis showed a high number of drivers on N.C. 410 were pulling into the path of those on N.C. 41, which did not have to stop. According to that analysis, almost 60 percent of the 31 crashes in the study involved angled collisions.
Although the all-way stop has reduced crashes, the department is building a roundabout to further improve the location’s safety and traffic flow, as well as to plan for anticipated growth in the number of vehicles traveling through the area.
In the modern roundabout, drivers slow down to about 15 mph to 20 mph when entering them and everyone is going in the same direction – factors that reduce the risk of crashes, especially serious ones.
“Roundabouts keep traffic moving through an area in a safe manner,” said Ken Clark, the department’s district engineer in the Whiteville office. “And they are easy to learn how to use.”
NCDOT awarded a contract this month to BMCO Construction of Lumberton, which may begin work after June 25; the roundabout is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2020. Initially, the intersection will remain open during grading and drainage work. But for most of the duration, the project will require the intersection to be closed for the safety of the workers. A detour will send drivers on N.C. 41 onto N.C. 131 and Center Road, while those on N.C. 410 will be directed to take Pleasant Garden Road.
View related video:
About Author
