Residents petition to make Union County intersection safer

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — There's a petition to fix a risky intersection in Union County, but Department of Transportation officials told said it'll be years before they address it.

Traffic buildup isn’t drivers’ biggest concern at the intersection of Marvin and New Town roads.

It is the turn many drivers have to make.

Tiffany Chepuli said drivers often speed on New Town, and the curve in the road creates a blind spot.

"There's no safe way out of here right or left,” Chepuli said.

Middle school students started the petition asking DOT to bump up plans to put a roundabout in 2020, given funding is approved

Channel 9 asked a state DOT spokeswoman if there was any way to expedite the project.

"If a municipality may want to increase a contribution to kind of accelerate it, that may have an effect on the schedule,” spokeswoman Jennifer Thompson said.

The Union County sheriff said in the past year the department has responded to 15 crashes at or near this intersection.

Deputies have at times directed traffic but drivers fear this isn't enough, and 2020 will be too late.

DOT officials said the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization is expected to vote to approve funding for the roundabout later this month.

Then the project must be designed, advertised and bid on.

Cox Media Group