A portion of Eubanks Road stretching from Millhouse Road to Martin Luther King Boulevard near the I-40 interchange has had its speed limit reduced from 45 MPH to 35 MPH.

According to Community Service Safety Communications Specialist Ran Northam, the decision was made by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Northam said that the Chapel Hill Police Department is taking extra precautions to make drivers aware of the change.

“We’ve got two digital signs out there that will be out for a few weeks letting people know of the change because really it was just a sign change that happened over night,” said Northam. “So we’re going to do everything we can, including social media and other forms of communication, to let people know of this change.”

Northam claimed that increased traffic from construction in the area has added to the congestion of the road, making the decrease in speed limit necessary.

“This is a stretch of road that is heavily travelled by a lot of people and by some big machinery too, so I think this change and the attention to safety in this area will be very important for all people travelling through the area,” said Northam.

The change in speed limit is effective immediately.

Photo via Chapel Hill Police