Wayne Memorial Drive project delayed until summer
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on April 27, 2014 1:50 AM
A Department of Transportation project to ease congestion on Wayne Memorial Drive by installing a median along the busiest part of the thoroughfare has been confirmed for July, DOT officials said.
The median would eliminate most left turns in that section of the street leaving only those at currently lighted intersections.
Traffic congestion on Wayne Memorial Drive is leading local and state transportation agencies to take the action.
The project was planned for either April or July depending on the DOT contractor's schedule, DOT Communications Officer Jennifer Garifo said.
Ms. Garifo said the April timeline was a best case scenario.
"The contractor really sets his own schedule for that," she said.
The project is intended to reduce the number of traffic accidents along the busiest portion of the heavily traveled roadway.
The median, made up primarily of 3-foot-wide concrete in most places, will run from just north of the bridge over the U.S. 70 Bypass to Country Day Road with breaks at all existing lighted intersections, city officials said.
The project is being driven by the city, which requested DOT look into its feasibility last fall.
The median will be 10 feet wide at the bridge and taper down to 3 feet at its northern end, leaving turn lanes at the lighted intersections.
Goldsboro Assistant City Manager Randy Guthrie said the project should take two to three weeks to complete.