The Pinehurst traffic circle is one of North Carolina’s most well-known roundabouts. Built in the 1950s, it serves as a gateway into Pinehurst Resort and frequently appears on national television during U.S. Open broadcasts.
Now, a new redesign proposal is drawing strong opinions on both sides.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation unveiled what officials call a “final alternative design” during an open house on Tuesday. NCDOT Spokesman Andrew Barksdale said the plan represents years of review and public feedback.
“We’ve gotten a lot of public comment from stakeholders in the past, and we’ve looked at all their concerns and comments, and we’ve come up with a great engineering design that really meets the needs of improving safety and traffic flow,” Barksdale said.
The NCDOT says the updated design would preserve much of the circle’s landscaping and character while adding traffic signals, widening lanes and improving how vehicles move through the area. Barksdale said crash numbers are increasing and the roadway design has not kept up with the county’s growth.
“If we just leave it the way it is and not touch it, it’s not going to be in the community’s long-term best advantage,” he said.
But some residents argue the circle isn’t a problem — the drivers are.
Pinehurst resident Will Page said education is a better fix than construction.
“I think we should keep it how it is, because really the problem is people knowing how to properly navigate it, and getting better education for how to travel around the circle,” he said. “I would say the new design is very complex.”
Others fear that changes could lead to more confusion, not less.
Lynn Goldhammer, another resident, said the solutions are being pushed by people who don’t live here.
“People who don’t live here are coming up with solutions for people who do live here and the people who do live here aren’t seeing it as big of a problem as the people who don’t live here,” she said.
Barksdale said NCDOT is still accepting feedback and may make minor adjustments, but he believes the current proposal strikes the right balance.
Residents can submit comments online at ncdot.gov over the next several weeks before the plan advances to the next stage.
