Road construction, new traffic patterns, new development and pitch black routes have Brunswick County residents wanting lighting improvements along rural highways.
Driving late at night on N.C. 133, N.C. 87 and N.C. 211 to or from U.S. 17 can be a dark, bendy ride and local residents and business owners are concerned about drivers being left without a light.
N.C. 211, N.C. 87 and N.C. 133 going to and from Southport are two lane roads with posted speed limits averaging 55 mph. Seeing bicyclist and pedestrians walking down the approximate 20-mile strips is common.
“N.C. 211 is honestly just super dangerous, regardless,” said Bolivia resident Nikki Forbes.
Forbes frequently drives N.C. 211 for work and said she wrote to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) earlier this year. She said her letter to NCDOT shared her concerns about safety on N.C. 211 and requested improvements, like an increase in signage, along the highway.
Forbes has been rear-ended on N.C. 211 and she has seen countless almost car collisions due to speeding, distractions, traffic pattern changes and impatience.
“People just fly. … It’s super dangerous, it gets pitch dark out here,” Forbes said.
Drivers get impatient, Forbes noted. Instead of waiting for someone to take a left turn, she said drivers will illegally drive off the road to go around the car.
Drivers driving down N.C. 211 and N.C. 133 at night are typically navigating in pitch black and have to rely on the light cast from headlights, Forbes added.
“Even when you’re going down the highway (U.S. 17), nothing’s just well lit,” she said.
Recent traffic changes and clear cutting along Brunswick roadways have only made driving at night worse, Forbes said. Clear cutting land has led to an increase in animals running into the road and being struck by cars, she added.
An example of one traffic pattern along N.C. 211 near Midway Road that changed over a year ago.
“It’s pretty bad,” she said.
Southport Mayor Rich Alt explained that there are multiple turns onto N.C. 211 in Southport with concrete islands in the middle of the road that are difficult to see due to lack of lighting.
Southport residents have also expressed concerns about roadway lighting along N.C. 211, the mayor said. He hopes lighting improvements will be made on N.C. 211 after the NCDOT widening project is complete.
“In theory, that’s what we’ve been told,” he said.
Despite the concerns, NCDOT spokeswoman Lauren Haviland said there are no plans to add lighting along N.C. 211, N.C. 133 and N.C. 87.
More Brunswick news: Brunswick County is buying a resident’s property near an industrial park
Business owners along N.C. 133, 87 see need for lighting
Unlike N.C. 211, there are some bends and twists along N.C. 133 and N.C. 87.
“We have a lot of accidents,” Olde Brunswick General Store manager Stephanie Carmichael said.
The Olde Brunswick General Store and The Gator Hole Country Store and Tackle shop are located along N.C. 133. The two stores are the only stores drivers see on N.C. 133 until they get near Leland or Southport.
N.C. 133 gets “very dark” at night, Carmichael said. The road gets so dark that seeing a vehicle on the side of the road can be difficult, she added.
“Our area definitely gets super dark, there is no lighting on this road at all,” said Jaime Short, owner of The Gator Hole.
The tight curves along N.C. 133 could be dangerous if people do not know the road, explained Carmichael.
Several sections of road along N.C. 133 and N.C. 211 have had a change in traffic patterns due to projects and road work over the past few months.
Though most of the main thoroughfares towards Southport go through rural areas with generational families living there, the traffic pattern changes are new to both Brunswick natives and new residents.
Some of the route alterations are drastic and sudden, noted Forbes. “Nobody really knows the new traffic patterns,” she said.
Being in a bend
Mill Creek Farm Supply is located on N.C. 87, right in the middle of a 55 mph curve.
“I think going down a long, dark road with not a lot of stuff to look at at night, you can get kind of tired quick,” said store owner R.W. Walton.
Walton said he’s been driving N.C. 87 for 40 years. His biggest concerns are how dark it gets on the main highways, the fast growth rate of residential development and inadequate infrastructure to handle the growth.
Following the downpour of Potential Tropical Cyclone 8, N.C. 87 was the only clear route to and from Southport and Boiling Spring Lakes for several days as washouts were fixed and flooding dried.
Walton said U.S. 87 should be widened to handle the incoming residential growth, noting flooding will only get worse.
N.C. 87 gets “incredibly dark” at night, he added, noting there has been several bad car accidents near his shop just during the day. All three accidents Walton witnessed were caused by a distracted driver slamming into someone trying to take a left, he said.
Related: With ‘alligators that walk our streets,’ residents worry after more Brunswick homes approved
Residents want improvements
Lowering the speed limit and installing more lighting and no passing signage along N.C. 211 would help, Forbes said. She said the improvements would make her feel safer.
Like Forbes, Short said placing lighting along N.C. 133 could improve safety and help drivers spot deer at night, though neighbors may not support installing bright street lights.
Some Brunswick County residents believe an increase in clear cutting has resulted in more roadkill along busy highways.
Adding lights on some side or back roads could be helpful, Walton said. Despite the improvement, he said the expense of new streetlights would fall onto property taxpayers and he does not want that.
“We’ve got enough burden as it is,” he added.
Walton said adding reflective paint, rumble strips and more reflectors on U.S. 87 would be a good, alternative solution to helping light the road.
Distracted driving and bright headlights are also concerning factors, said Forbes, Short and Walton.
Residential development is viewed a negative to some but Carmichael hopes benefits, like more street lighting, could be an advantage.
Carmichael said NCDOT and developers should consider adding more lighting towards main roads when installing turn lanes and constructing buildings along N.C. 133.
STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest Brunswick County news by signing up for the Brunswick Today newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Savanna Tenenoff covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at stenenoff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Night driving on NC highways in Brunswick becoming more dangerous