LUMBERTON — A series of traffic safety improvements planned for Robeson County began Monday when the N.C. 904 and N.C. 41 intersection was converted to an all-way stop, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Crews with NCDOT Highway Division 6 began Monday morning making the conversion at the intersection. Motorists should drive cautiously through the intersection and be aware of NCDOT crews in the vicinity.
A recent analysis by NCDOT showed 15 of 20 crashes in the intersection were angled, also known as T-bone crashes, according to the state transportation agency. Crashes were primarily caused by drivers on N.C. 904 failing to yield to vehicles on N.C. 41, which did not have stop signs before the conversion.
An NCDOT study in 2010 found converting intersections into all-way stops reduced fatalities and injury-related crashes by 72%. The department, in particular, has increased the number of all-way stop locations in Robeson County in recent years to improve highway safety.
“We have identified several new locations where making this simple traffic pattern change will dramatically lower the risk for serious crashes,” said Grady Hunt, a Robeson County resident who serves on the N.C. Board of Transportation. “Making all-way stops gives a great return on investment.”
Hunt also is chairman of the Robeson County Vision Zero task force, which seeks to reduce highway deaths in the county.
The NCDOT has identified seven locations in Robeson County warranting the all-way treatment that have been approved for funding. In 2020, the department placed them into one project expected to cost almost $300,000.
The six remaining locations are to be scheduled later for conversion, according to NCDOT. All are expected to be converted by the end of this year.
The locations are:
— U.S. 301 at Powersville Road/Mount Olive Church Road ;
— Pine Log Road at Norment Road ;
— Shannon Road at McQueen Road;
— U.S. 74 Alternate at Chicken Road ;
— Meadow Road at Bee Gee Road .
