Traffic Plan Would Have Raleigh Motorists Driving in Circles

Raleigh, N.C. — Big changes are in store for Hillsborough Street near North Carolina State University. The way people travel the road is about to shift.

Plans are in the works to put a roundabout at the intersection of Hillsborough and Morgan Streets. Engineers want to add a roundabout in that area because Morgan Street is slated to become a two-way street.

The $500,000 project is part of a push to make Hillsborough Street a more pedestrian-friendly area. It is scheduled to begin in Spring 2008 and be completed by winter of the same year.

Other roundabouts are planned for Hillsborough Street near the N.C. State Bell Tower and Oberlin Road. The cost to include all roundabouts on Hillsborough Street will run close to $6 million.

City planners also mention that as part of the Hillsborough-Morgan Street plan, they will have to remove an oak tree to the dismay of some people.

The public was invited to view the plans Wednesday at the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex, at 222 W. Hargett St., starting at 5 p.m. Engineers were also on hand to answer questions about the project.

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Latest Comments

Will the city have to pay a fine for cutting the oak tree? Restaurant recently fined $17,000 for prunning their oak trees.

whatusay
August 16, 2007 9:01 a.m.

This is a novel idea, maybe we should redesign all our streets and roads to be more pedestrian friendly. This should please the "Global Warming" croud. It won't do much to improve the traffic congestion in the area, but alas why would the road planners/designers think about traffic flow now? It doesn't look like they've bothered themselves with it in the past.

rc4nc
August 16, 2007 8:52 a.m.

Okay, so now I'm educated. Yield to the traffic circle, but wait what was that about yielding when you exit the circle too? No need to SHOUT at me about how easy it is, they didn't cover this when I took driver's ed on a tractor. It does sound very easy. Now how do we educate everyone else? It doesn't do me much good being right if the guy coming straight through thinks he has the right of way and plows into me in with his Hummer.

I still think the circle is much too small, but I like the idea in general.

IfByWhiskey-a-go-go
August 16, 2007 8:51 a.m.

Good points RoadGeek and JohnnyM. I about got wacked by some lady on a cell phone blowing through the roundabout over on States campus. She didn't even look.

There will need to be a huge change in how we drive around here to keep the accident rates down.