Landis, DOT officials discuss potential Hwy. 29 traffic pattern

LANDIS — Even with a traffic signal, motorists attempting to navigate Old Beatty Ford Road, Ryder Avenue and Hwy. 29 South have likely felt uneasy traversing the intersection.

Although still in the very early phases of research, the town of Landis could be onto a solution.

“A relatively new concept to this area, but not to North Carolina, called the reduced conflict intersection that we believe is a wonderful option that we want you all to consider for this location,” NCDOT Division 9 Engineer Pat Ivey told the Landis Board of Aldermen during its monthly meeting on Monday at town hall.

According to NCDOT research, which compiled reports from local law enforcement as well as N.C. State Highway Patrol, in the last five years, there have been 36 accidents reported from that intersection.

The DOT officials said that the predominant crash patterns from those incidents are angle accidents and left turn collisions. According to the DOT officials, those are the collisions that typically result in the most severe injuries.

Per the DOT officials, based on the narratives of crash reports, 22 of those 36 incidents would have likely been prevented with the reduced conflict intersection design.

So, what is a reduced conflict intersection?

“It’s a geometric design that we use on four-lane highways to improve safe traffic flow and reduce the number of conflict points,” said John Rhyne, NCDOT Division 9 deputy engineer.

According to the NCDOT website, the most common type of reduced-conflict intersection design eliminates left turns from side roads onto busy main roads.

“Raised medians direct traffic from the side road into turning right,” the website says. “When there is a safe opening in traffic, drivers enter the flow of traffic on the main route. To go the other direction or cross the highway, they pull into a dedicated lane — typically less than 1,000 feet away — and make a U-turn. There might be a traffic signal at this location.”

The design of the reduced-conflict intersection lowers the number of conflict points in a conventional intersection from 32 to 14. The 93 reduced-conflict intersections have reportedly shown a 59-percent reduction in crashes. Data from the Federal Highway Administration reflects a 70-percent reduction in fatal crashes as well, because the collisions that do occur are not angle accidents and left-turn collisions that often result in T-bone-style impacts.

While the primary motivation for reduced-conflict intersections is to make travel safer, they also pose benefits to commute times. Left turns contribute to delays at traffic signals, requiring multiple signal phases.

“The common-reduced conflict intersection design redirects minor movement traffic into right turns, which leads to time savings,” NCDOT data shows.

In fact, a report conducted by N.C. State University demonstrates an overall average of 20-percent time savings with signalized reduced conflict intersections compared to signalized corridors without them.

Other concerns were raised Monday, including the potential for a delay in emergency response as fire engines or EMS attempting to cross the intersection are forced to take extra steps to get through.

“If they can plate it down and give us a curb cut, we can get across it,” said Landis Fire Chief Jason Smith.

Smith spent years working in Cabarrus County, where some of these intersections are already in place.

“Coming from Cabarrus County, Concord, we have a lot of (these intersections),” Chief Smith said. “Hwy. 49 and Old Charlotte are great examples. Having been stationed 300 feet from that intersection, I worked fatality wrecks in the old style. I have never worked a fatality in this new style.

“I believe this is the most effective and safest, just coming from experience down there.”

The engineers said there are ways to make the raised medians low enough that an emergency vehicle could cross over them.

“You just don’t want to make it where people will cross over and disobey what you are trying to make them do,” said J.P. Couch, the NCDOT Division 9 maintenance engineer.

Ultimately, Couch lamented that there is only so much that traffic engineers can do to thwart would-be violators.

“All we are trying to do is keep the honest man honest,” Couch said. “People who are going to break the law are going to break the law.”

Landis Mayor Meredith Bare Smith said that she has heard from numerous citizens in person and online about the dangers at the intersection. While she said that she wants to hear from more citizens on the matter, she remarked that a lack of familiarity with the traffic pattern might be what initially spurs some people off.

“It has not come to Division 9 yet,” Smith said. “It’s just not come into Rowan County. We have very few of them, and because of that, I think it is something that people are not accustomed to. However, I think that if you work or you go to Cabarrus County, Charlotte or other areas, (they are) everywhere.”

Another concern raised was if it would deter traffic from visiting uptown businesses. The mayor said this was one group she wanted to make sure had a chance to offer input.

“Our uptown businesses have worked their hineys off to build their clientele and their businesses,” Smith said. “We were dead in the water until Old Beatty Ford (was constructed). I would hate for this to deter people, but we do have to think about safety. This is like a double-edged sword.”

Ivey thanked the board for its questions. The whole concept is in preliminary stages. Ivey said the next steps would involve community input sessions.

“What we are asking for tonight, we have brought this for your consideration, and we just need to know if you think this is an option that warrants further study (and) more public input,” Ivey said. “If you want us to move forward with this, we would love to do that. One of the first things we would do is set up a public information and public involvement session, probably right here at town hall, to get more input from the citizens, talk to them one on one.”

Ivey mentioned that such conversations would also include emergency services.

“Emergency services are one group we would want to talk to about issues they might have and if we can design around it,” Ivey said.

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