A straighter drive down North Third Street to Buffalo Road could soon be a reality.
Smithfield is holding a neighborhood meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 20, to gauge residents' opinions on realigning the intersection of Third Street, Buffalo Road and North Street. The meeting will be held at the Smithfield Junior Women's Club, 405 N. Second St.
The project would eliminate the "turn right, turn left" hassle drivers connecting from Buffalo to Third or vice versa currently face. To make it happen, part of Talton Park's soccer field would need to be cut off, making room to move over Buffalo Road to line up with Third.
The project's details aren't set, but Town Manager Eric Williams listed off a few possibilities in an e-mail to town officials:
-a possible four-way stop at Buffalo and North Street
-a possible sidewalk/trail connection from Third to the water plant and on to the greenway trail
-possible traffic calming improvements (that are aesthetically pleasing) at crossing intersections along Third, Hancock, Caswell and even Bridge Streets.
-a leveling of the traffic flow between and among Second, Third and Fourth Streets.
-the opportunity to make other visual/landscape improvements along the corridor
-the opportunity to create additional recreational type improvements once the soccer field is 'shifted' toward the west (even potential space for a requested dog park has been mentioned......one idea anyway). There are likely others.
The N.C. Department of Transportation would foot the bill for the road work, while the town would be responsible for any changes or movements of its facilities and utility lines. Work could start as early as this fall; the Town Council will review plans at its Aug. 3 meeting.
