Ocean Isle Beach officials made the N.C. 179 roundabout official by agreeing to put $250,000 in town funds into the project. Commissioners voted to approve moving forward and using town funds, if necessary, to cover the town costs in addition to federal funds. Town officials tried to represent everyone in town during the decision making process.
Along with the public opinions, the town is relied on the knowledge of North Carolina Department of Transportation to help make this decision. The main concern for traffic and safety is when traffic backs up on summer Saturdays when beach house renters arrive. The town is looking to the needs of the future when they anticipate more traffic will come to Ocean Isle Beach. Traffic reports state that a roundabout can handle 40 to 60 percent more traffic than a stoplight.
After a lot of deliberation, NCDOT staff met with their engineering consultant to tweak the design of the roundabout to address issues that were raised by local business owners. The NCDOT presented the board with a new map that showed left turn lanes added outside of the roundabout to provide access to the businesses at the intersection. The timetable for building the roundabout would begin with finalizing the design to be ready to begin construction at the start of 2016.
The goal would be for construction to begin at the first of the year and be open by Memorial Day weekend.
