There have been six car crashes at the intersection of Greensboro Street and Estes Drive Extension in Carrboro since 2012. Although the wrecks aren’t all the same, most were due to lag at stop lights.

“We’ve hired a consultant to help us identify what the deficiencies are out there,” said Chris Smitherman, Division Design Engineer. “And it appears to be delay.”

Smitherman said the Department of Transportation is looking to hear residents’ input on turning the three-way stop into a roundabout to solve this problem.

BenJetta Johnson is a traffic manager at SEPI Engineering and Construction. The company is acting as a consultant to determine what changes are viable. She said the roundabout would not only reduce the probability of wrecks, but it would also keep traffic moving.

“With a roundabout, you won’t have that same stop delay that you would have with a traffic signal,” she said. “So if you approach the intersection, and there’s not an opposing vehicle, you can just proceed into the intersection.”

Smitherman said it was also important to consider safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. But design also needed to be taken into consideration. He said the roads will need more room if they are made into a roundabout, and the NCDOT will need to discuss potentially cutting into property lines with homeowners.

“Well, with what we’ve proposed here, there may be some additional property that we may need to utilize in order to construct it and build the project,” he said.

The NCDOT is still waiting for public comments from residents to come in, before making finalized plans and designs. Click here for information on how to submit comments about the project.

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