Michael Daughtery, right, was one of several speakers at a Tuesday night, Sept. 12 public hearing before the Mount Olive Town Board who said local residents would be better served by an interchange than the state’s proposal to close the intersection of U.S 117 and Smith Chapel Road. The board continued the public hearing until its Tuesday, Oct. 10 session. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
Audience members watch a state Department of Transportation video explaining highway safety improvements during the Tuesday, Sept. 12 meeting of the Mount Olive Town Board. Following a 45-minute public hearing on proposed safety improvements at the U.S. 117/Smith Chapel Road intersection, the board voted to continue the hearing until its Tuesday, Oct. 10 session. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
This state Department of Transportation graphic shows the proposed safety improvements at the U.S. 117/Smith Chapel Road intersection that would be closed to cross traffic. U-turn lanes would be provided north and south of the interchange to allow for turning traffic.
Local residents agree that safety improvements are needed at the U.S. 117/Smith Chapel Road intersection — just not the ones being proposed by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
The ideal solution, they said, would be an interchange.
After 45 minutes spent in a public hearing on the proposal, the Mount Olive Town Board voted unanimously to end the discussion, but to continue the public heating until its Tuesday, Oct. 10 session when it is hoped DOT officials will be on hand to hear residents’ concerns.
The Tuesday, Sept. 12, public hearing was not required, however, town commissioners wanted public input before talking with the DOT about possibly proceeding with the proposal that includes closing the intersection to crossing traffic.
The plans, speakers said during the public hearing, simply would move the accident zone farther down U.S. 117 while imposing a hardship on Smith Chapel area residents trying get to and from town.
They also questioned whether the U-turn lanes and bulb outs in the proposal would provide adequate safety for large, slow-moving farm equipment and tractor-trailer rigs.
As proposed, the changes would require residents to make long detours to get into and leave town, the speakers said.
On several occasions, Mayor Kenny Talton reminded speakers that the plan allowed for U-turns near the interchange so that motorists did not have to go miles out of their way to make turns.
The intersection came under review by the state Department of Transportation’s Mobility & Safety Division Unit as a potential project funded through the N.C. Highway Safety Improvement Program.
The program uses a combination of state and federal funds for smaller projects, such as new traffic signals, roundabouts, etc.
From Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2022, the intersection was the scene of 10 crashes in which 12 people were injured, some seriously, according to data provided by the DOT. Four crashes resulted in property damages only.
No fatalities were reported during that time.
Under the state proposal, traffic traveling west on Smith Chapel Road would be able to turn north (right) on U.S. 117, but not left nor cross the intersection that would be blocked by a median.
A dedicated left turn lane would be created about a quarter mile north of the intersection to allow traffic to make a U-turn. An area would be provided on the outside shoulder of southbound U.S. 117 to help U-turning traffic avoid oncoming traffic.
Traffic headed east on Old Smith Chapel Road (as the road is known on the west side of U.S. 117) toward town would be able to turn right (south), but not left nor cross the intersection.
A dedicated left turn lane would be created about a quarter mile south of the intersection to allow traffic to make a U-turn. An area would be provided on the outside shoulder of northbound U.S. 117 to help U-turning traffic avoid oncoming traffic.
Town commissioners would like to see acceleration lanes added to each side to help the U-turning vehicles more safely merge with traffic on U.S. 117.
DOT spokesman Andrew Barksdale told the Tribune that no decision has been made and that nothing is funded. Nor, he said, is there any cost estimate cost or no timeline for a potential safety improvement project for this location.
Local businessman and farmer Tony Jones, who lives in the Smith Chapel area west of town, recalled when the U.S. 117/West Main Street intersection — the scene of some fatal wrecks — was closed to crossing traffic.
Jones, who said he spoke on that change when it was proposed some 10 to 15 years ago, added that he thinks that change has been effective.
“I don’t want to be the one to stand up and oppose it and someone get killed at this intersection (U.S. 117/Smith Chapel Road) because we don’t go with it,” he said. “What we need to is to take into consideration for the folks who live in Smith Chapel which I do.
“I travel into Mount Olive every morning. You have a lot of people who live on the southern end of Mount Olive that travel to Goldsboro, or they travel to Wilmington, they would have to cross (the intersection.)”
Smith Chapel residents were concerned about access when the West Main Street intersection was closed, but assurances were given that the Smith Chapel intersection would remain open, Jones said.
Jones said he has tractor-trailer trucks, tractors, buses and employees who have to cross the Smith Chapel Road intersection.
The proposed bulb out and U-turns do not work very well for slow-moving equipment, tractor-trailer trucks or buses, he added.
What was done at the West Main Street intersection was to move the accidents down to Smith Chapel Road, he said.
However, Jones said he does not think there has been as many accidents there.
Closing the Smith Chapel intersection will move traffic and the accidents south to Lee’s Country Club Road, he said
Jones wanted to know if the town has asked for an overpass at Smith Chapel Road.
One suggestion has been to align Old Smith Chapel Road with Lee’s Country Club Road and build an interchange there, Jones said.
That proposal is part of the state’s long-range plan to upgrade U.S. 117 from Goldsboro to Interstate-40 to interstate status to extend I-795.
Now is the time to do that since there is little development in the area and because land vales are as cheap as they are going to be, Jones said.
“I don’t know if funding is available, but we need to ask for that,” he continued. “I don’t think we need to be complacent and say, ‘let’s go with your plan,’ and hope in 10 years we get the overpass.”
Jones said he thinks everyone would agree that the O’Berry Road overpass in Dudley and the U.S. 117 overpass at Country Club Road have proven to be phenomenal improvements.
It should be impressed upon the DOT how much southern Mount Olive needs an interchange, he said.
Commissioner Barbara Kornegay told Jones she had attended state meetings where the road was discussed and that she was told the proposed safety improvements would not affect future plans for an interchange.
Mary Jo Bundy Lambert said the plans for U.S. 117 were presented years ago and that she has a copy of them.
The plans include the interchange and the closing Smith Chapel Road and West Main Street intersections completely. That could direct more traffic to N.C. 55, she said.
Lambert said traffic already is heavy on N.C. 55 in front of her house since the only way to get into Mount Olive is N.C. 55 or Country Club Road.
“Everything is growing out west, but yet we are blocking anybody from coming in to downtown,” Lambert said. “Who is going to come to downtown if they can’t get to it?”
The solution seems to be the overpass and could it be moved up if the town asks for it, she added.
Michael Daughtery said his family owns the land near the intersection where Daughtery Field recreational fields are located. He said he has rental property in the area as well.
A lot of people live in that area and in Sampson County who use Old Smith Chapel Road to get into Mount Olive, he said.
Daughtery said Lambert and Jones had said what he had wanted to say.
“You are running people out of Mount Olive,” he said. “Why do we need to spend $375,000 to revitalize somewhere (downtown) that is never going to be seen by people?”
He agreed with Jones that DOT should be told what is needed because the area is where a lot of the population is and not simply go along with the proposal that affects Duplin County as well as Wayne County.
“Please think about your population for the outskirts of Mount Olive, what eventually will be annexed into Mount Olive and think about that population,” he said.
Annette Kirby said she regularly used the intersection.
“If you do that interchange, what you are doing is you are bringing them up off the road and all of your traffic that normally is going to go on Smith Chapel Road is going to continue coming that way,” she said. “But what you are doing is you are looping them back on 117.
“So you have not avoided a thing. What you have done, you have rerouted that traffic. Granted it is a bad intersection. But if you are going to divert traffic up that way, and make them come back around on a U-turn — all you did is you put all of that traffic on 117. You haven’t done anything.”
Talton responded that it is short-term attempt to improve safety and save lives until an interchange can be constructed.
The issue should be revisited if possible, James Carlton said.
Carlton said he had a cousin who died at the intersection some 15 years ago, adding that he would choose life over convenience any time.
