On Wednesday morning, the Sandhills Metropolitan Planning Organization (SMPO) took the next step in paving the way for the county’s 25-year transportation plan. The board reviewed project submissions and updates on its federally required Metropolitan Transportation Plan, which will guide transportation priorities and development.
The Sandhills MPO, formed in 2023, covers Aberdeen, Pinebluff, Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Taylortown, Whispering Pines, Foxfire, and additional individual sections of Moore County.
The plan must consider all modes of travel, including cars, freight movement, walking, biking, and public transit. The board can nominate up to nine projects per mode of transportation for state scoring and funding consideration.
With many of the pedestrian, bicycle, public transit, and railway plans already decided, the organization has focused on narrowing down the roadway projects.
The plans have been under consideration for official submittal for several months now, and Wednesday’s meeting saw them inch closer to approval. Pinehurst Mayor Patrick Pizzella reminded the organization that the deadline for SMPO staff to submit the list online is Sept. 30.
Transportation engineer Kristina Whitfield of Kimley-Horn, the engineering firm involved in the project, was present to discuss with the organization how to refine its plans.
“As we get through each step of these various planning processes, each of the projects get a little bit more defined and a little bit more realistic,” said Whitfield. “When we get to the metropolitan transportation plan, we take a lot of those ideas that are generated at the comprehensive transportation plan level and we start to add a little bit more meat to them, but most importantly, we balance the checkbook.”
Whitfield went on to delineate the finer points of the plan, including the fact that the board must consider federal planning factors, such as safety, security, tourism, and travel, while still accounting for local priorities and budget.
“We compare those project costs to the reasonably expected revenues and come up with a plan for what we would like to achieve in the next 20 to 25 years,” Whitfield explained. “As of right now, the plan has to be adopted by a federal deadline of December of 2026. We’re aiming to bring that to you guys earlier next fall.”
She noted that smaller, less costly projects, such as certain intersection fixes, can have a large impact and should be considered alongside major highways and bypasses.
The highway submissions are as follows:
U.S. 1 (N.C. 2 (Midland Road) to SR 1853 (Camp Easter Road)
The proposal at this time is to “upgrade arterial to reduced intersection corridor.”
U.S. 15-501 / N.C. 211 Relocation
This project proposes building a new two-lane connector from Roseland Road to U.S. 15-501/N.C. 211 near Aberdeen to improve safety and traffic flow by addressing problematic intersections. By eliminating the current dog-leg movement between Roseland Road and NC 211, the connector is expected to reduce delay and conflict points. From 2020 to 2024, Roseland Road at the U.S. 1 intersection reported 45 crashes, one of the highest crash frequencies in the SMPO.
N.C. 22 – Pee Dee Road to Aviation Drive
This proposed modernization of N.C. 22 between Pee Dee Road and Aviation Drive aims to increase roadway capacity and improve safety, including the addition of turning lanes at major intersections and a potential roundabout at Pee Dee Road. Traffic along this corridor has surged by 51% since 2007, reaching 11,500 vehicles per day—nearing the two-lane road’s capacity threshold of 12,700. Between 2020 and 2024, six intersections along the route experienced high crash volumes, with Airport Road leading at 34 incidents, followed by Reservoir Park (16), Pee Dee (14), Mill Creek (9), and Aiken (9).
Airport Road – N.C. 2 to N.C. 22
This proposed modernization of Airport Road between N.C. 2 (Midland) and N.C. 22 aims to improve roadway capacity by adding turn lanes at intersections. Traffic along this corridor has grown by 31% since 2009, reaching 9,300 vehicles per day and approaching the two-lane road’s limit of 10,900. Safety concerns are also driving the project, with both ends of the corridor experiencing frequent crashes between 2020 and 2024: 14 at Pee Dee and 48 at Midland Road.
Indiana Avenue / May Street (Southern Pines)
This proposed intersection upgrade at Indiana Avenue and May Street in Southern Pines is looking for a way to improve traffic flow and safety by adding turn lanes. Traffic volumes have increased notably on three legs of the intersection since the mid-2000s, with Indiana Avenue (south of May) rising from 4,700 to 6,500 vehicles per day, and both directions of May Street also experiencing steady growth. Between 2020 and 2024, the intersection recorded 20 crashes.
Indiana Avenue / Fort Bragg Road (Southern Pines) – Improve Intersection
The Indiana Avenue and Fort Bragg Road intersection is submitted for an upgrade to better handle increased traffic volumes, with a roundabout under consideration as a potential solution. Traffic counts have risen sharply across all legs of the intersection since the mid-2000s, with South Fort Bragg Road experiencing a 63% increase and Indiana Avenue seeing growth of over 40%. Between 2020 and 2024, nine crashes occurred at the site.
N.C. 2 (Midland Road) / Pee Dee Road (Southern Pines)
This intersection improvement project at N.C. 2 (Midland Road) and Pee Dee Road in Southern Pines is designed to accommodate turn lanes and enhance traffic flow and safety. All legs of the intersection have experienced steady growth in vehicle volume since the late 2000s, with Midland Road (west of Pee Dee) reaching 12,500 vehicles per day in 2022. Between 2020 and 2024, the intersection recorded 21 crashes.
N.C. 211 / Rattlesnake/Gun Club Drive
The details around this project are simply described as “improve intersection.”
N.C. 22 / SR 1838 (McCaskill Road)
Another plan to “improve intersection.”
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~ Article and photo by Sandhills Sentinel Assistant Editor Abegail Murphy.
