The N.C. Department of Transportation is reaching out to residents of the Knob Hill Vista subdivision in Lexington to let them know about an upcoming project that may affect their commutes.
This fall, NCDOT will remove the service road connection to the ramp from U.S. 29/70 South to U.S. 64 West. Residents will still have easy access to U.S. 29/70 from Lookout Avenue, as shown on the attached map. The rest of the service road will remain open to traffic.
“This change may inconvenience some drivers, but we’re doing it to keep them safe,” said NCDOT Division 9 Engineer Pat Ivey. “By removing the service road connection to the ramp, we’ll prevent dangerous rear-end crashes and protect motorists.”
While a 24-hour NCDOT traffic count indicates that only 30 vehicles per day use this service road now, the department projects that traffic will increase substantially along the ramp in the future. With more vehicles traveling at highway speed down the ramp, there is a higher potential for rear-end crashes with slower moving vehicles merging on to the service road.
To reduce the potential for crashes and improve safety, NCDOT will eliminate the connection by removing the pavement that links the service road to the ramp, as highlighted on the attached map. Once that asphalt is gone, subdivision residents will take Lookout Avenue, a much safer alternative, to U.S. 29/70.
This work is a precursor to a project that will replace the U.S. 64 bridge over U.S. 29/70 in Lexington. It is scheduled to start in November 2012.