I attended the Highway 70 Bypass meeting May 22, 2008 and gave the following position. 

POSITION PAPER ON BESTON RD./HWY 70                                20 May 2007

Highway 70 was allowed to develop as it is and the current intersection at Beston Rd penalizes the local businesses and farmers. Another serious problem is this intersection has now closed one of only three Wayne County North/South corridors.  There are only 3 bridges to cross the Neuse River in Wayne County, 117, 581 and Beston Road.  People used this road traveling from Northern Wayne to Seven Springs, Highway 55, Kenansville, Pink Hill, Albertson and other points south. It was also used by people from the Southern end to traverse to Snow Hill, Greenville and other northern points.  I have spoken to business owners and have been told that since this intersection has been changed there has been a 25% loss to the businesses currently there.

I submit except for political interference, allowed by Wayne County Commissioners, there would be a stoplight there already.  This intersection should be as the citizens of Wayne County desire it and needs to be corrected by putting a stoplight there NOW!  Over 100 Wayne County citizens attended a meeting to support the need for a stoplight but were ignored.  Both Sen. John Kerr and Rep. Van Braxton stated if the Wayne County Commissioners asked for it, a stoplight would be placed there.  The Commissioners were approached and asked to support the request for a stop light but a motion was never made.  The main question by citizens is, why are our elected leaders not listening to us and representing our interest?

I understand that the technique used by DOT at Beston Road allows a higher speed limit on 70; I know that DOT wanted to improve this route and putting up another stoplight would not help the traffic to the coast.  This intersection now forces large farm equipment and tractor trailer rigs to turn and travel on highway 70 for several hundred yards in both directions, in the fast lane at a low rate of speed.  This has created a serious safety issue that impacts all motorists in both directions.  It has created a severe traffic problem with traffic that once crossed Highway 70 now must make the U-turn at the Walnut Creek Village entrance and at the Country Butcher Shop.  This has reduced the accidents at Beston Rd. but moved them to each of those turn around intersections.  According to Sgt Hooks of the Highway Patrol, from 12/06 to date there have been 17 reported accidents, 6 with injuries, in the area of the Beston Rd. intersection.  I think this number of accidents is larger than was at the Beston Rd. intersection before the change.  Walnut Creek has only one entrance onto Highway 70 and the traffic now makes a tight U-turn blocking the exit. DOT has to look at the best and cheapest way to insure economic growth and public safety.  They believed closing the Beston Rd Highway 70 to crossover traffic was the best solution.  However, it is not; imagine driving around that curve at 70MPH coming up on a combine in the fast lane going 10 or 15MPH, with cars on your right when you see it, BAM. I have witnessed traffic using the merge lane on 70E to turn into the parking lot at Pappys  Army Navy Surplus Store and cutting though the ABC Store parking lot and onto Beston Rd. Somebody will be dead soon.  Put a stoplight up. Drivers are already doing 70 mph on Route 70.  There have been stoplights added in the New Bern area and Johnson County area, why not in Wayne County?

Willie Ray Starling

The meeting was attended by in excess of 100 people and the major subject was the need for a stop light at the 70/Beston Rd. intersection.  Heated discussion also was on the appeared lack of concern for the businesses which have developed  along the current 70 in closing intersections and creating problems for customers to get to the businesses.  It will be interesting to see what shows up in the News Argus.

 

Comments from the first meeting on Stoplight

The following is comments, from last year,  I made on this project on the plans for this intersection change from a stop sign to the current configuration.  My position has not changed, we need a stop light worse today than before not the current intersection configuration, someone is going to be killed here: 

I understand that the technique proposed by DOT at Beston Road would allow a higher speed limit on 70 which would allow this route to compete with longer expressway routes, 64, 264, & 24, with 70 mph speed limits now available for traffic from Raleigh and Piedmont NC to the coast. Routes that will draw trucks and tourist from our area will be impacting negatively on the economy in the 70 corridor, And Especially Wayne County.

I know that DOT wants to do everything to better improve this route and putting up another stoplight would not help the traffic to the coast. I know that the accepted rule-of-thumb, used by trucking companies, "add 1-1/2 miles to the length of routes for each stoplight". Eliminating this stoplight will make the computed mileage for pricing and routing better by the 1-1/2 mile add-on.  This intersection, converted as planned, will force large farm equipment and tractor trailer rigs to turn right and travel on highway 70 for several hundred yards in both directions, in the fast land at a low rate of speed. This will create a serious safety issue that will impact all motorists in both directions.

Keep in mind the accepted rule-of-thumb I mentioned earlier, used by trucking companies, I think that when I-40 crossed the entire country in a west-to-east direction it should have logically continued from Raleigh down the 70 corridor. That did not happen, Democrat politics allowed this road to develop as it is and now wants to penalize the local businesses and farmers by closing this intersection. I submit, except for Democrat political interference, allowed by Democrat state government, I-40 would be there now and FedEx would be located in the GTP.

The Democrat State Legislature has taken money from the DOT and moved it to the general fund for years. I understand DOT has a big job to do and is short on funding. DOT has to look at the best and cheapest way to insure economic growth and public safety.  They believe closing the Beston Rd Highway 70 to crossover traffic is the best solution.  However, it is not, imagine driving around that curve at 70MPH coming up on a combine in the fast lane going 10 or 15MPH, with cars on your right when you see it, BAM. Somebody will be dead. Put a stoplight up for now and plan for a cloverleaf here in the near future. Drivers are already doing 70 mph on Route 70 and already some stoplights have additional up-road warning lights to warn that cars are stopped, dead in the middle of the highway ahead. Even then, there are too many “rear-enders”. Add this cost in lives to the economic cost to the area and THEN, we need to not only stop adding lights, but start pulling them down and building overpasses or cloverleafs .