WILMINGTON – To help reduce crashes, the N.C. Department of Transportation will convert a highway intersection in eastern Columbus County into an all-way stop.

On Friday afternoon, NCDOT crews placed changeable message signs at the intersection of N.C. 87 and N.C. 11, letting motorists know the traffic pattern will change soon.

Currently, traffic on N.C. 11 must stop, but not on N.C. 87.

NCDOT officials are expediting the process for the conversion, with an aim for the change to be completed by Oct. 13.

The department also has funded a project that will include upgrading this intersection into an interchange with bridges and ramps.

With construction a few years away, NCDOT officials in recent weeks have been evaluating short-term solutions, and converting the intersection into a four-way stop will be safer.