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Traffic Pattern Change Along Highway 70 In James City

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A tricky Craven County intersection along Highway 70 has been reworked by NCDOT.

Twenty-nine accidents have occured at the intersection of Highway 70 and Garner Road in Craven County, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation's project request dated October 23, 2017.  On Monday night, NCDOT closed the open median at the intersection to improve safety and decrease congestion, said spokesperson Andrew Barksdale. 

“We’ve had a lot of T-bone accidents or angled crashes.  What’s happened is people are on Garner Road and they’re getting into the median but they still want to go straight or go left and they’re making mistakes and there’s crashes happening.”

Crews with the State Department of Transportation installed plastic curbing at the intersection of Highway 70 and Garner Road to prevent cars from crossing two lanes of traffic to turn left.  Now, motorists on Garner Road will only be able to make a right hand turn.  Eastbound travelers will have to make a u-turn at the Taberna intersection to go in the opposite direction, while commuters heading west will have to make a u-turn near Grantham Road.

"If you're on U.S. 70, you'll be able to turn right or left onto Garner Road. But we will not allow the traffic on Garner Road to turn left.  And that's called a directional crossover."

The new traffic pattern is only temporary, Barksdale said.  Construction begins next year to convert Highway 70 in James City to Interstate standards, permanently closing off access to Garner Road.  

Jared Brumbaugh is the Assistant General Manager for Public Radio East. An Eastern North Carolina native, Jared began his professional public radio career at Public Radio East while he was a student at Craven Community College earning his degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. During his 15+ years at Public Radio East, he has served as an award-winning journalist, producer, and on-air host. When not at the station, Jared enjoys hiking, traveling, and honing his culinary skills.