Work will begin soon on a project to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Midland Road and Central Drive in Southern Pines.

The project also calls for improving the nearby Midland Road interchange with U.S. 1. The overall goal is to improve safety on this stretch of Midland Road, where traffic is expected to nearly double to an average of 28,000 daily trips by 2040.

Barnhill Contracting Co. of Rocky Mount is scheduled to begin work on the $2.8 million project on June 3 and is expected finish construction by Oct. 1.

The work will require the contractor to close Midland Road on either side of the intersection with Central Drive from June 17 until Aug. 31.

During that time, Midland Road traffic will follow Pee Dee Road to access Central Drive, and West Pennsylvania Avenue to U.S. 1 through Southern Pines to access to Midland Road on the east side of the work zone.

Individual lane closures on Midland Road will be also required outside of the all-lanes closure period. However, lane closures will not be allowed during peak driving times of 7-8:30 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Drivers should slow down and be cautious near the work zone and plan ahead for extra travel time because of the detours associated with this project.

 

Photo courtesy of Google Maps/Contributed.