DOT Plans Traffic Circle Improvements
A digitally altered photograph shows how the islands leading into and out of the Traffic Circle would look after the enhancements.
- Print print this page
- Discuss 32 comments, Blog about
Advertisement
The Pinehurst Traffic Circle is getting a makeover.
Officials with the N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Monday unveiled plans to make improvements to the structure that they say will improve safety for both motorists and workers and improve the look of the structure.
Ingle and Son Landscape will do the work, which is slated to start next Monday, weather permitting, for $98,905. The project is expected to be completed by January.
The project will move the current plantings out of the points of the four islands on each side of the Traffic Circle, replacing them with brick pavers.
The plants will be moved into the center of the islands. Both moves will improve sight lines for drivers and result in better safety for workers who will do the plantings and other routine maintenance.
Richard Hancock, the local division engineer for DOT, said the designs were done with input from the village and others. The final product, he said, will minimize the possibility for “errant” vehicles to destroy the plants, and the look “will replicate the character of downtown.” The central planting beds will also offer flexibility in terms of the size, type and color of plants that go there.
“I think this is going to be a great solution,” said Pinehurst Mayor Nancy Fiorillo. “I think it will be a wonderful enhancement for the 2014 Opens and beyond.”
Hancock said that with the scheduled completion date for the work well ahead of the Opens, it will give DOT officials plenty of time to cycle through some plantings and determine the best for both spring and fall.
Said Fiorillo, “We all agree on one thing: We want this to look great.”
The work is the second phase of proposed improvements to the Traffic Circle. Recently, the Village of Pinehurst thinned out the trees and vegetation from inside the Traffic Circle.
The work is among 13 DOT projects that are under way, or are expected to start soon in anticipation of the summer of 2014, when Pinehurst Resort hosts the 2014 U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open in back-to-back weeks.
The largest of those projects is the ongoing widening of N.C. 211 from West End to the Pinehurst Traffic Circle, which is expected to be completed by May 2014.
Work on two other big projects, the U.S. 1– Morganton Road interchange in Southern Pines and the bridge work at U.S. 15-501 and N.C. 211 in Aberdeen, are expected to begin soon, likely within the next month. The contracts for both of those projects have been let, according to DOT officials.
DOT officials said they are aware of the importance of the U.S. Open to the entire state and have called all 13 pending projects “high priority.”
“We know the world is coming,” said Don Lee, DOT state roadside engineer.
Contact Tom Embrey at (910) 693-2484 or at tembrey@thepilot.com.
More like this story
Advertisement
Comments
teufelhunden 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Some of the plants are too high.
I like the concept.
njc17 7 months, 2 weeks ago
The DOT's future intentions are to get rid of the circle , but over the years the pushback was too great. However they probably feel if it can be screwed up enough, people of Pinehurst will relent and they can get on with the business of putting a 4 way intersection and traffic lights and eliminate the pinehurst/midland road intersection. That's my take on it. I do know the DOT has wanted that circle gone for years. That whole 211 fiasco was part of the plan to muddle up that intersection . Did anyone think, 211 does not even go there? It SHOULD have gone down the Hoffman road to approximately Roseland road and pick up 211 at Aberdeen.
fugitiveguy 7 months, 2 weeks ago
This is a little off topic but I have to say it. For a while the entrance to Pinewild off 211 was closed. I am sure this was very inconvenient to those residents but I believe it was neccesary and I think it was done after a fatal accident near there. Now I see it is back open again bringing westbound traffic to a stop for someone turning left into pinewild. This was a mistake. There will be another serious accident there, its only a matter of time. Either make a turning lane or put up temporary caution lights and or reduce the speed limit for that stretch to 35mph. Its not worth losing another life.
doughnuts 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Brick pavers will make it easier for people to stop in the lane and hook around the corner.
oldtimer 7 months, 2 weeks ago
@fugitiveguy - re: the Pinewild entrance. The DOT plan DOES include a separate left turn lane into Pinewild from 211, at both the primary entrance as well as the one two miles east where the fatality occurred. Let's trust this solves the traffic problems that were created by west-bound traffic stopping for those entering Pinewild.
hcaeb 7 months, 2 weeks ago
I think this is a waste of monies when there is so many roads that need work done. Just move the planting and grow grass.
FightFireWithFire 7 months, 2 weeks ago
How about we stop worrying about how the damn thing looks and fix the lack of functionality? Apparently no one that works in the Village of Pinehurst has had the pleasure of sitting in the circle waiting to get into the flow of traffic in the morning or at lunch or at quitting time. The traffic circle does not handle the increased amount of traffic that has come into our area. There needs to be a better thought process in our government. I want it to look nice, but I also don't want to sit in backed up traffic for twenty minutes just to get onto the main roads, either.
PaleRider 7 months, 2 weeks ago
The circle is staying, better get used to it.
blue1 7 months, 2 weeks ago
You know it figures, all that is wrong in this world, country, state, county and such here we are worrying about the stupid traffic circle....AGAIN!!!!! I think it is about time to focus on things that really matter instead of pleasing a bunch of upturned noses. I'm sure though as usual it won't be the last "update" to this God-for-saken blackhole that sucks up the lunchtime and family time of the people who DO work and DO have better things to do than worry about flower height and color. You can shine a turd but it's still gonna be a turd. FIX THE PROBLEM ALREADY LIKE EVERY OTHER CITY ON THE PLANET. This isn't England and we are not on horse and buggy anymore....let it go...the state rests your honor...
JeneccaD 7 months, 2 weeks ago
nice!
TooHot 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Out of all the options to handle the traffic at that intersection, a traffic circle is the worst.
greatbrit 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Just concrete over the whole thing and let the traffic sort itself out. It can't be worse than what happens now. The number of times I've seen traffic sneak up on the right only to pull over to the left amazes me. But go two mile over the speed limit and you've got blue lights in your mirror! There are rules and etiquette with roundabouts and either people don't know or chose to ignore them.
DaveyNC 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Damn photo uploader. Can never get it to work for me.
DaveyNC 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Ah, the heck with it. Here's a link: http://www.itv.com/news/west/2012-10-09/40-years-of-swindons-magic-roundabout/
greatbrit 7 months, 1 week ago
Just remember - "always look to your right" is only applicable when you're driving on the left! Been "around" this, it's a lot easier than it appears.
Toda 7 months, 1 week ago
Bottleneck! Why do SCC students especially young ladies always like to tailgate? In the last week, and about 500 road miles, I've been tailgated no less than 8 times, while driving about 5 to 8 miles over the speed limit. What gives with these young drivers?
JAP 7 months, 1 week ago
Toda, That's called drafting. You know gas is close to $4.00 a gallon now..... JAP
MikeNC 7 months, 1 week ago
The hundreds of white cigarrette butts will stand out nicely against those red pavers...Mike
mcg2010 7 months, 1 week ago
But if we get rid of the traffic circle then everyone else will have to find something new to complain about. And who has time for that!
Also, we've been over this before 95% of the issues with the circle are due to driver error. A 4 way intersection would have just as many delays and back ups because of the sheer volume of traffic. Look at the corner of 15-501 at Saunders any time or day of the week. It would be just like that, only worse.
I commend the DOT for these improvements. It looks like it will improve visibility as well as aesthetics, and we knew a change was coming with the open. Personally, I'm glad the price tag is under $100k. Could have been worse.
skylinefirepest 7 months, 1 week ago
Why is DOT spending money on the circle, which looks good just as it is, instead of spending that hard to come by money improving many other places that need it?????
Toda 7 months, 1 week ago
JAP ~ You know I didn't think about drafting...good reason.
SLFP => it's called the Pinehurst / US Open ... like the airport that doesn't belong to the taxpayers and they have land in their name that we paid for... it's good old politics. Remember election time is right around the corner ... think in terms of what has gone on in this county in the last few years!
skylinefirepest 7 months, 1 week ago
You're absolutely correct, Tommy. I'm just trying to get it out in the open air so maybe it could be discussed....just like the million plus that we spent on a totally un-needed stretch of god awful looking guardrail when a planting of the median would have accomplished the same result while looking a "million plus" times better!
Poolboy150 7 months, 1 week ago
I have said this and more for years......they need to remove all trees from the circle as well....so there can be a clear line of sight all the way around and across the circle.....There also needs to be signs that say Yeild Don't Stop If There is no Oncoming traffic and people need to learn to use their turn signals when they are going to exit the circle.......also there are no speed limit signs in the Circle........if you approach on 211, 15-501 the speed is 45........but if you approach from 2 or Midland Rd. the speed limit is 35.......either way.....people going 15 MPH in the Circle are a complete danger Traffic circles work if people would just learn how to drive into them and back out of them!!!!
djcalaska 7 months, 1 week ago
This should look very nice. When is the pill to do away with the circle going to be swallowed??
Devout_Heretic 7 months, 1 week ago
Actually, the teeny-weenie circle out at the airport is the one that needs more fixing. Ever watch a semi try to negotiate it? Great fun.
SH59 7 months, 1 week ago
If everyone drove slower around the circle it would leave spaces for cars to enter smoothly without so much waiting to get into it. I bet if they put down those rumble strips the traffic would improve to everyone's surprise.
newsnow 7 months, 1 week ago
This latest "improvement" to the traffic circle is like "putting lipstick on a pig". It's merely another cosmetic change, not the functional change that is so desperately needed. When will the parties involved in these stupid decisions wake up & finally help the motorists by making REAL improvements?!
teufelhunden 7 months, 1 week ago
The traffic here is really light. What people need is patience and good judgement. The concept looks nice and they are doing it because of the Opens. Morganton Rd looks a mess with all those graffiti looking squiggly lines everywhere.
blue1 7 months, 1 week ago
It has nothing to do with the speed, it has nothing to do with signs, it has nothing to do with anything else other than the circle is just plain ridiculous. Why does Pinehurst always have to be so "pretty"? Common sense and functionality apparently are last on the list around here anymore and I am personally sick of it! 100,000 dollars for flowers and bricks,???? It is a road not the yellow brick road, not a fairytale. My God people, come on now...
clarabelle 7 months, 1 week ago
" SH59 6 hours - If everyone drove slower around the circle it would leave spaces for cars to enter smoothly without so much waiting to get into it. I bet if they put down those rumble strips the traffic would improve to everyone's surprise."
Best post yet..........
Toda 7 months, 1 week ago
"Why does Pinehurst always have to be so "pretty"? " And to add injury to insult, many visitors who live in NC, travel US 1 South and take Hwy 5 into Pinehurst. The reality of logical reasoning and public awareness. The DOT should rename 5 from Aberdeen to Pinehurst, "industrial drive" to cushion the effect of the real Poorer County as opposed to The Hurst.
alladat1 7 months, 1 week ago
Anyone else notice how landscaping projects have proliferated since Mr. Parsons was elected?