Last Updated on October 27, 2026 1:18 pm
NCDOT contractor will begin construction of medians, sidewalks next week
WILKESBORO – An N.C. Department of Transportation project will take another step toward improving safety along U.S. 421 in Wilkes County after a contractor shifts traffic to a new pattern at two intersections this week.
Beginning Thursday, Oct. 29, drivers desiring to turn left onto or cross U.S. 421 at the Dancy Road intersection will first turn right onto U.S. 421, then use a designated U-turn lane and traffic signal to turn around onto the highway. Drivers on U.S. 421 can still turn left onto the road using a designated lane and signal.
At the Zion Hill Church Road intersection, drivers who wish to turn left onto U.S. 421 will first turn right, then use a designated U-turn lane to turn around onto the highway. Drivers on U.S. 421 can still turn left onto the road using a designated lane.
Crews installed digital message boards and set the new signals to a flashing pattern on Oct. 21 to alert drivers to the upcoming change.
“This traffic shift marks a major milestone for the project – and a huge step toward reducing potential crashes on this high-traffic corridor,” said Scott Pipes, resident engineer for NCDOT in Wilkes and Ashe counties. “Once traffic is shifted to the new pattern at these two intersections, our contractor can focus on constructing concrete medians and sidewalks throughout the corridor.”
This new traffic pattern is part of an $81 million project converting intersections along a 2-mile stretch of U.S. 421 from N.C. 16 to U.S. 421 Business in Wilkes County to reduced conflict intersections. The Winkler Mill Road and U.S. 421 Business intersections were shifted to this pattern earlier this summer, and the Addison Avenue intersection shifted to the pattern earlier this year.
Reduced conflict intersections simplify how traffic moves and can reduce total crashes by 50%, according to NCDOT crash data. They have reduced frontal impact crashes, like head-on or T-bone collisions, by 80%.
Crews from NCDOT contractor Branch Civil Inc. are scheduled to finish all construction for the project in fall 2027.
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