LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. — Another roadway project is coming to north Alabama, and it's intended to make a busy intersection safer.
According to residents in Greenhill, there have been dozens of both lethal and non-lethal accidents at the intersection in recent years. In response, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) announced Nov. 6 that it will begin construction at the intersection of Highway 43 and State Route 64, right next to the Dollar General at 4833 Highway 43.
Its plan: to build a reduced conflict intersection. So, how will it work?
ALDOT's public information officer Seth Burkett said, "If you're coming off of [State Route] 64, go north on [Highway] 43 and then make a U-turn to go back south on 43, it's the way that, ultimately, traffic will work at this intersection."
Rather than having a traffic light where drivers can turn left, they will instead turn right and head up the road to a nearby U-turn. While it may seem counterintuitive, Lauderdale County sheriff's lieutenant Andy Corbett said it's safer than a regular traffic light.
"Generally, with a reduced conflict intersection, you see a 50% decrease in accidents and an 80% decrease in fatalities," Andy Corbett said.
Burkett also says it's safer. "We're talking about reducing not only the number of crashes, but the severity of crashes, so that when crashes do occur, they are often not those T-bone type of crashes, angled crashes that you see that result in a very severe injury and often fatalities."
Construction will begin in November and should take 2-3 months. The price tag? Almost $500,000.