I wanted to share a quick update on the petition and traffic light activities. The team has been following up every few months.  First, some very good news. Rep. Carson Smith was able to procure funding for the light at Sloop Point Road. This happened late 2025 and we've been trying to get information about the remainder of the project, timeline, etc. I had a 40 minute meeting with the NC DOT on Wednesday to discuss and met with several members of our petition team.
 
Key points:

Timeline - Spring 2027 implementation with the possibility it may be moved up to Fall of 2026 if they are able to find light poles within their inventory that will fit the required dimensions. This is good news. They were able to shave off 6+ months from the original plan and avoid right of way/utility moves.

Partial funding - the legislature only partially funded the NCDOT design. This will get a light at Sloop Point Rd. which will stop Northbound (NB) traffic there, slow people down and create gaps for turning movements at both Sloop Point Rd. and Royal Tern Dr.  Their full plan incorporates a light to stop SB Rt. 17 traffic at Royal Tern Dr. to clear out the turn lane for folks transitioning NB to SB 17.  I've attached a photo from the NCDOT as a visual.  The box in green is what has been approved and the box in yellow is currently unfunded.
 
Next steps: The team is going to reach out to the legislators, (Sen. Brent Jackson and Rep. Carson Smith) on behalf of all petition signers asking for continued work to procure the additional funding to fund the remainder of the NCDOT design.  NCDOT is also working on ways to procure funding and possibly piecemeal the funding together to compete it.
 
What you can do if you'd like to help: Sign the petition, contact County and State officials (County Commissioner Brad George, Rep. Carson Smith, Sen. Brent Jackson) conveying your support of the NCDOT plan/petition and asking for continued funding to improve the overall design and safety of the Sloop Point Rd to Royal Tern Dr. area and helping raise concern regarding traffic growth, increasing congestion and incident/accident reduction into the future.

Thank you to all of the petition signers and supporters!