NCDOT Delays Downtown Smithfield Parking Removal Until After Christmas
SMITHFIELD — A planned NCDOT safety project that would eliminate on-street parking along a stretch of East Market Street in downtown Smithfield has been postponed until after Christmas, state transportation officials said Tuesday.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation had expected to begin removing curbside parking and posting “no parking” signs in early December as part of an interim safety effort on East Market Street (U.S. 70 Business). The change would affect roughly 70 on-street spaces between Second and North Seventh streets.
But NCDOT officials told local leaders they will delay the work to avoid disrupting holiday shopping in the downtown district.
“Division 4 has informed local officials today that it will delay this upcoming safety change until after Christmas because the original schedule… could impact the important holiday shopping season in downtown Smithfield,” a NCDOT spokesperson said.
The work will be rescheduled for a date after Christmas “as soon as the weather and night-time temperatures allow the updated pavement markings.”
The safety project is intended to reduce the high number of crashes along the corridor. Over a recent five-year span, East Market Street saw more than 500 crashes, more than half involving parked vehicles that were sideswiped or struck. Those crashes resulted in 71 injuries and one death.
The parking removal is considered an interim step while engineers continue developing a larger improvement plan that includes resurfacing the roadway, widening travel lanes, and installing pedestrian crosswalks and signals. East Market Street carries nearly 19,000 vehicles per day, according to NCDOT.
A new timeline for the project will be announced once scheduling and weather conditions are determined.
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It will be 30,000 in two years with the housing developments being built. The intersection with Bright Leaf can barely handle the current level.
What a waste of State and local resources. Town leaders should push back requiring NCDOT to develop a viable plan that does not disturb the downtown. Enforcement of current traffic laws would be a good starting point.
This change cannot be completed fast enough. It is way past time for on-street parking on Market St. to cease. Too many drivers cannot parallel park to save their lives.
Postponing so as not to disrupt holiday shopping.
About to be the last time I be shopping there now.
Have you seen anybody walking along 301 shopping with 4 lanes of traffic?
80% who are exceeding the speed limit or not paying attention.
You did nothing about the problem so now the state has to come in and fix it the way they want.
Why did you think it was so great to have I95 on one side of town and Amazon on the other side.
A very good question. All the trucks have now ruined 70 Business making ruts in the pavement so it doesn’t drain properly and rain pools on the road in the tire paths, creating a hydroplaning hazard.
Shopping in downtown Smithfield…🤔…😂
They should not delay it a day further on my opinion, as a recent side swipe with injury victim on that very same street. I thought wind of my recent crash that involved a whole semi truck hitting my very much parked and not running vehicle would have been the straw to break the camels back but nope.