Early next year, crews will begin making improvements to the intersection of Old Beatty Ford Road and Organ Church Road in Rowan County. By realigning the intersection, the N.C. Department of Transportation will enhance safety, reduce the potential for crashes and help motorists get where they need to go more efficiently.
Currently, the roads do not intersect at a 90-degree angle. Motorists are forced to steer slightly in one direction and then another to pass in a weaving pattern through the intersection.
To eliminate the weaving pattern, NCDOT will realign Organ Church Road to form two separate T intersections with Old Beatty Ford Road.
The first new intersection will change the way Organ Church Road meets the south side of Old Beatty Ford Road. The T intersection will require motorists on Organ Church Road to stop at a stop sign and then turn right or left onto Old Beatty Ford Road. They will no longer be able to drive straight across Old Beatty Ford Road to continue on Organ Church Road.
Located 600 feet east of the first intersection, the second intersection will change the way Organ Church Road meets the north side of Old Beatty Ford Road. The T intersection will allow motorists to turn left from Old Beatty Ford Road onto Organ Church Road to continue their commute.
Installing two different intersections will make it easier for drivers to see how traffic is flowing before they decide to turn, which will improve safety.
Transportation Secretary Gene Conti awarded a $1.4 million contract for this project to J.T. Russell & Sons Inc. of Albemarle last month. Work is scheduled to start as early as Feb. 27, 2013, with final completion set for Feb. 26, 2014.
This is one of 14 contracts totaling $100.8 million awarded by Conti in September for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina. NCDOT awarded the contracts to the lowest bidders, as required by state law. The bids received on the projects awarded came in about 11.3 percent, or $12.8 million, below NCDOT estimates.