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Transportation officials hope the upcoming widening of Village Road in Leland,NC  will relieve all motorists of congestion and crashes along Village Road by adding more lanes and better controlling traffic flow.

After a decade of planning, the long-awaited widening of downtown Leland's main thoroughfare is slated to begin in September and take about two years.

Last week, the N.C. Department of Transportation opened bids for the project. The low bid of about $5.7 million came from S.T. Wooten Corp. That was about 15 percent below DOT estimates, good news for the cash-strapped state agency. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti is expected to award the construction contract soon. The estimated completion date for the project is June 1, 2011.

The total cost of the project - including engineering, design, land acquisition and construction - is about $12 million.

The project stretches about a mile, from just west of Old Fayetteville Road to the U.S. 17 northbound interchange ramps. It includes paving, curb and gutter work, and drainage and traffic signal improvements. The new road will include four lanes along the entire stretch, with additional turn lanes at intersections. Concrete and grass medians will replace the existing center turn lane, or "suicide" lane. The median will prevent left turns out of many businesses, which is expected to reduce the potential for crashes and injuries.

"Typically, those left turn, or angle-type crashes, are the most severe," said Allen Pope, DOT division engineer.

Instead, motorists will have to turn right and make a U-turn at the nearest intersection. Eastbound drivers will be able to turn left through dedicated crossovers at Townsend and Thomas Garst lanes, as well as the intersections with traffic signals. Westbound motorists will only be able to turn left at the main intersections.

The project also includes the realignment of the intersection of Old Fayetteville and South Navassa roads, and sidewalks on both sides of Village Road from Navassa Road beyond the overpass to the intersection of Main Street and Blackwell Road.

The widening plan is receiving mixed reviews from town leaders and business owners. Some fear the changes will diminish access to their properties and could hurt business. Others say any changes to Village Road are good changes.

Leland Mayor Walter Futch said he's "ecstatic" that the project's finally about to begin after a decade of planning. The changes will improve safety along the stretch. But the final plan isn't exactly what town officials had hoped for. The sidewalks, he said, will only be 5 feet wide, instead of 8 feet. And drainage from the road will be accomplished through roadside ditches, which Futch said will take away from the road aesthetically.

"It's not going to look like a downtown for us, and that's a problem, but we'll just have to live with it," he said.

But even if it isn't perfect, the road improvements are an important step in improving the important corridor.

"I think this is the beginning of us being able to see some vision for the future, really," he said.

 According to the DOT, about 29,000 cars a day travel Village Road. In 2030, the DOT projects more than 43,000 cars a day will use the road.

This project is expected to begin in September, and will affect traffic flow through the area. DOT officials said lane closures won't be allowed during the busiest travel times - from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Resourse: starnewsonline.com

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