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Commissioner urges DOT action after reports of 31 wrecks at Benson roundabout; town manager says DOT cites speed criteria
Summary
Commissioner Will Chandler told the board he requested crash data showing 31 reported wrecks at the town roundabout; he urged repainting and additional signage. Town Manager Kim Pickett said DOT reviewed the site, cited a 35 mph highest entering leg and addressed lighting, and noted landscaping obscured some signage.
During the Feb. 24 meeting, Commissioner Will Chandler raised safety concerns about the roundabout in Benson and said he had asked the Police Department for wreck counts. Chandler reported 31 wrecks were reported in the period cited in the minutes and urged the town to ask the North Carolina Department of Transportation to repaint the roundabout yellow, add signage and consider other treatments.
Town Manager Kimberly Pickett told the board she has received numerous complaints about the roundabout and said she had emailed DOT. According to the minutes, DOT replied that the highest-speed entering leg meets the 35 mph criterion and will not be reduced; DOT said it had addressed lighting and that Division of Traffic staff observed signage and traffic operations and identified landscaping and trees along NC 50 and U.S. Highway 301 as obscuring some advance-roundabout signage.
Commissioner Chandler asked that the board send a letter to DOT requesting additional safety measures. The minutes record the discussion and the request for a letter but do not show a formal vote or any immediate board directive to send the letter.
