ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Hundreds of drivers pass through West Main Street and Dow Hollow Road intersection daily but it’s become a safety concern.
“What we’re looking at is the highest crash location that we have in Roanoke County,” Assistant Director of Planning Megan Cronise said.
When there is a backup on I-81 the intersection will get even more traffic.
Sgt. Spencer Hoopes with the Roanoke County Police Department sees the issue daily.
“Vehicles are going highway speeds right through there and it can be challenging to make sure the path is clear on both sides...when one way looks clear and when you get back to it, it’s not,” Hoopes said.
The county hopes to create a peanut-shaped roundabout at the intersection to help with traffic flow and provide safer conditions for drivers in the area.
“Route 11-460 is a corridor of statewide significance and so VDOT is trying very hard to keep those significant corridors throughout the state moving traffic-wise. If you put a traffic signal on a place that doesn’t currently have one, it’s really going to slow down traffic,” Cronise said.
The county asks for the public’s thoughts on the proposal through an online survey. The deadline to fill out the survey is March 13.