Residents raise road safety concerns as DOT plans intersection changes on Highway 24

Multiple residents raised road maintenance and safety concerns during the public-comment portion of the Duplin County Board of Commissioners meeting, and county staff reported that the N.C. Department of Transportation plans to modify an intersection on Highway 24 within months.

Residents described ditch clearing that left torn grass and damaged signs in the Summerlin's Crossroads and Red Hill areas, requests to drag and level dirt roads, and a washout on Charity Road that was reported to county staff. One resident said the condition near Summerlin's Crossroads creates visibility problems and a history of collisions.

County Manager Miller told the board DOT expects to make modifications to the intersection at North Williams Road and South Williams Road on Highway 24 within the next six months. Miller described the planned work as a change to prevent cross-through movements at the intersection — what he called a "turnaround intersection" — and said state officials told him the change is intended to improve safety. The chairman and other commissioners expressed concern about traffic impacts on commuters who use the route to reach workplaces.

Board members and staff said they had contacted state officials and legislative representatives about the project; Miller reported the state indicated the work would proceed. County staff also noted other transportation improvements are planned in the next one to two years and that such changes typically follow multi-step study and funding processes.

The board recorded requests for county staff to notify DOT and follow up on local damage reports, including beaver-related pipe blockages and roadway edge cave-ins; no formal board action was taken during the meeting on the repair requests.