Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DOT engineer asks Alleghany County to back all‑way stop at NC‑18/Sparta Parkway to improve safety
Summary
Division 11 engineers presented crash history and modeling for NC‑18/Sparta Parkway, recommending an all‑way stop as a low‑cost safety measure while a roundabout remains a long‑term, higher‑cost option; the county was asked to pass a supporting resolution to improve prioritization for state funding.
Matthew Evans, Division 11 maintenance engineer for the state, told the Alleghany County Board of Commissioners that safety data and traffic modeling support installing an all‑way (four‑leg) stop at the intersection of NC‑18 and Sparta Parkway.
Evans said crash history from 2015–2020 recorded 19 crashes at the intersection, including one fatal or serious injury, while January 2021–February 2025 showed eight crashes and no fatalities. He described earlier safety improvements installed in December 2020 — enhanced signage, transverse rumble strips and oversized flashers — and said those likely contributed to a reduction in severe crashes.
The engineer outlined three options under consideration: a roundabout, a traffic signal if warrants are met, or an all‑way stop. A roundabout previously submitted for prioritization carried an estimated cost of about $4,700,000, Evans said, and faces environmental constraints in the southwest and southeast quadrants that complicate design and push construction out to a 2032–2037 window if funded. By contrast, Evans described all‑way stops as low‑cost (he cited less than $50,000), fast to implement and effective in rural high‑speed intersections when properly sited.
"This is one of the strongest solutions to improve safety for rural high‑speed intersections," Evans said, summarizing statewide studies he referenced that showed substantial reductions in crashes after all‑way stop installations. He noted results cited in his presentation: overall crashes per year down about 55% and frontal impact crashes down about 65% at studied sites, with marked reductions in fatal and serious injuries in the datasets he presented.
Commissioners asked several operational questions. A commissioner asked whether tickets were typically issued in the recorded crashes and whether an all‑way stop could confuse drivers used to the current control; Evans said ticketing data was not immediately available but could be retrieved and that a public outreach and education period (two to three months) usually accompanies an all‑way stop installation to reduce confusion. He also said the existing overhead flashing lights could be retained, with yellow changed to red and dual indicators added as countermeasures if the stop is installed.
On traffic signals, Evans said the intersection does not meet the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) warrants for a signal now. He recommended the board consider a resolution of local support: local buy‑in helps the state prioritize projects in the Safe Transportation Improvement Program and other funding rounds.
If the board favors moving forward quickly on safety improvements, Evans suggested a local resolution backing an all‑way stop would accelerate the low‑cost intervention while the county continues to pursue long‑term solutions such as a roundabout through the multiyear prioritization process.
Next steps: DOT staff requested that the county consider drafting a short resolution of support for the all‑way stop. The project would proceed through DOT outreach, final design of concrete channelizing islands (to define four approaches) and an education campaign before signs are installed.
Ending: The board thanked DOT staff for the presentation; commissioners indicated they would consider a resolution at an upcoming meeting. The state will continue to evaluate roundabout prioritization and advised local support improves project competitiveness.
