|
for overpass at
U.S. 74-N.C. 211
Thursday’s horrific crash at N.C. 211 and U.S. 74-76 near Bolton is the third separate fatal crash at the intersection in the last two years. There have been many other wrecks with serious injuries.
Ironically, crews were in the process of surveying the intersection for a planned overpass when the crash occurred.
Right-of-way acquisition won’t start until 2010, which means construction likely won’t be completed for another five to seven years.
Efforts should be made to speed up the process. The intersection will only get busier as growth accelerates along the coast. It is a dangerous intersection because the stoplights are a surprise to many motorists traveling on a highway where there are few stoplights.
When so many people were losing their lives in the 90s in car wrecks on the two-lane “Death Alley” between Boardman and Chadbourn, and at the stoplight at N.C. 410 and U.S. 74 north of Chadbourn, pressure from the public and news media speeded up the process for completing the project. The improvements have dramatically reduced fatal crashes on that stretch.
The volume of cars coming through the intersection at N.C. 211 and U.S. 74-76, coupled with the number of 18-wheelers that use the highway, is a recipe for other similar crashes.
An overpass that would end the number of at-grade collisions can’t come soon enough. Five to seven years is too long.