HUDSON – The N.C. Department of Transportation will begin improving a Caldwell County intersection Feb. 16, weather permitting.
HEI Civil Carolinas LLC, of Charlotte, earned the $13.3 million contract to convert the U.S. 321 intersection with Mission Road and Lower Cedar Valley Road in Hudson to a reduced conflict intersection.
The new design for this intersection will improve traffic flow and reconfigure the traffic pattern to reduce the number of potential conflict points between drivers and pedestrians.Reduced conflict intersections eliminate left turns from side roads onto busy, main roads. Instead, drivers use a dedicated lane to make a U-turn.
Upon completion, drivers wishing to go straight across U.S. 321 from Mission Road or Lower Cedar Valley Road will turn right onto U.S. 321, then turn around using a designated U-turn bulb-out, then turn right onto the road. Drivers on U.S. 321 wishing to turn left onto either road will use a designated lane and traffic signal.
Construction that requires lane closures will be restricted to night-work only. The contract calls for all construction of the Mission Road intersection to finish by fall 2027.
This is the first of three U.S. 321 intersections in Caldwell County to be redesigned to improve safety and mobility. The intersections with Mount Herman Road and Pine Mountain Road will be advertised for bids later this year.
Each of the intersection redesigns are part of the larger U.S. 321 widening project, which will widen U.S. 321 to six lanes between U.S. 70 in Hickory and Southwest Boulevard in Lenoir. Transportation officials anticipate awarding a contract for the first portion of the widening project, from U.S. 70 in Hickory to U.S. 321 Alternate in Granite Falls, in 2027.
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