NC DOT Suggests Eliminating Left Turns Onto NC 86 From Old 86
Drivers would also no longer be able to go straight on Old 86, across NC 86. Read more to learn about NC DOT's proposed plans for NC 86 north of Yanceyville and how to provide your feedback.
The currently proposed safety improvements for North Carolina Highway 86 between US Highway 158 in Yanceyville and the Virginia state line are very different than the four-lane divided highway proposed ten years ago.
When Project R-5822 appeared in the State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) in 2016, the improvement was described as a four-lane divided highway with an estimated cost of $114 million. Construction was expected to begin in 2020.
Instead, Project R-5822 was scaled back to a three-lane project and delayed as part of state funding decisions. Caesars Entertainment also selected Danville as the site for their new casino.
Three years later, in 2023 the bridge was replaced. That same year, after a significant advocacy effort by local residents, a stoplight and left-turn lane were added at the intersection of Park Springs Road. Just over the state line, Caesars opened the temporary casino.
Resident-led advocacy is also what led to the construction of the left-hand turn lane at Walter’s Mill Road.
Earlier this year, Caswell’s Board of Commissioners requested an update from NC DOT on the projects underway and planned for the County. District Engineer Jeremy Delapp presented that update to the Commissioners in May of 2026, sharing that it was anticipated Project R-5822 would go out for bid in March of 2028 and be completed in 2031. The scope of work was described as “construct passing lanes and shoulder improvements.”
When Commissioners asked for an update regarding requests to consider a four-way stop, roundabout, or “realignment of the intersection” at Old NC 86 by the ABC Store, Delapp said that the data did not warrant a signal, but certainly a realignment. He told the Board that it had been nearly a year since he had heard anything about plans for that intersection and that he would request an update.
That intersection has been of particular concern since a developer first proposed an 80-lot housing development nearby.
Now, residents along NC 86 are receiving notices about the most recent updates to Project R-5822, now estimated to cost $28.3 million.
No More Left Turns or Straight Shots Across From Old 86
According to a public input page published by the NC DOT on August 11, the intersection at Old NC 86 and new NC 86, at the ABC store, would be converted to a Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI), often called a synchronized street or a median U-turn. According to the NCDOT, RCIs reduce the potential of “severe angle crashes” and reduce “by almost half the number of potential locations, or conflict points, where drivers and pedestrians can collide.”
It does this by eliminating left turns, in this case from Old NC 86 onto NC 86. Raised medians would force traffic to turn right onto NC 86 and then use a dedicated lane to make a U-turn. It would also prevent drivers from continuing straight on Old NC 86, crossing NC 86.
The project also includes “construction of passing lanes and shoulder improvements at various locations, as well as turn lanes between Park Springs Road and the solid waste convenience center” and “safety enhancements” at the intersections of Park Springs Road and Old NC 86, on the northern end, just before you reach North Elementary School.
An estimated half million dollars of the $28.3 million project is anticipated for right of way acquisition, which could begin as early as spring of 2027.
Residents and those who routinely travel through the area are encouraged to direct questions, comments, and feedback on the project to the NC DOT via the Project R-5822 Public Input webpage HERE, via email at nc86-caswell@publicinput.com, or by phone at 984-205-6615 (enter project code 10270).
