NORTH WILKESBORO – An N.C. Department of Transportation contractor will start a new phase of intersection improvements on U.S. 421 in Wilkes County next week.
Branch Civil Inc. will begin construction on outside lanes, including widening the existing road and continuing construction of retaining walls along the highway.
The new phase will bring slight changes to the traffic pattern for U.S. 421 and U.S. 421 Business beginning Tuesday:
• A second left-turn lane will be added for drivers turning from U.S. 421 South to U.S. 421 Business South.
• The turn lanes from U.S. 421 Business North to U.S. 421 will be for right turns only. Drivers on U.S. 421 Business North must enter U.S. 421 South using the left-turn lanes on the Curtis Bridge extension.
The $81 million project began in 2024. Over the next three years, Branch Civil will convert intersections to reduced conflict intersections along a 2-mile stretch of U.S. 421 in Wilkes County.
Reduced conflict intersections simplify how traffic moves and reduced total crashes by 50%, according to NCDOT crash data. They have reduced frontal impact crashes, like head-on or T-bone collisions, by 80%.
The entire project is scheduled for completion in fall 2027.
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