HOPE MILLS – A roundabout is coming to a Cumberland County crossroads to improve safety and traffic flow.
The circular intersection will be constructed at Chicken Foot and John McMillan roads south of Hope Mills, after the N.C. Department of Transportation awarded today a nearly $2 million contract.
The department converted the intersection into an all-way stop in 2018 as an interim safety measure. The all-way conversion was the result of an analysis of 10 years of crash data. Nearly all 31 crashes that occurred there in that period were the result of drivers on John McMillian Road who had failed to stop or yield to the right of way.
Roundabouts help reduce the congestion and backups associated with traditional intersections with stop signs and traffic signals. A driver generally enters the roundabout more quickly than if waiting at a traffic signal. Additionally, people travel at slower speeds in a roundabout, improving safety.
People can visit this NCDOT website to learn how easy it is to navigate a roundabout.
Construction
The Fayetteville contractor, Highland Paving Co., will require one year to complete the project after starting it. As of September 2023, a start date is not known yet, because NCDOT has tasked Highland Paving with other work in Cumberland County that Highland wants to complete first.
This public meeting map used at the 2021 open house provides a rendering of the roundabout. Because this location is outside of any municipality, the roundabout will also have streetlighting installed to improve visibility at night.
At times during construction, some segments of the affected roads near this intersection will be closed for the safety of workers, and traffic will instead use a detour.
The department will announce these closures when they are scheduled, and post them at DriveNC.gov; people can search that website under “Cumberland County".