DUBLIN — Ahead of schedule, the roundabout at the intersection of N.C. 41 and N.C. 410 has opened.
An inspection was Friday morning, and final touches were made later in the day and Saturday. It opened about 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
BMCO Construction of Lumberton was awarded the nearly $1.76 million contract and completed the work. The intersection was closed briefly last summer while preliminary work was done, reopened, and then had been closed since Sept. 16.
The intersection is at the crossroads between West Bladen High School and Bladen Community College. It was changed to a four-way stop in the spring of 2017 because of crashes, the majority involving vehicles on N.C. 410 pulling into the path of those on N.C. 41.
DOT officials said in a news release the four-way stop reduced crashes, and the roundabout is expected to improve safety and traffic flow.
The roundabout connected N.C. 41 and N.C. 410 opened Saturday, well ahead of its planned summer debut.