Leland police direct traffic to relieve congestion

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — The NCDOT has been working on the intersection of NC 133 and US 17/74/76 to create a diverging diamond.  Leland Police were out Monday morning directing traffic hoping to relieve some of the congestion on Village Road.

Lt. Jeremy Humphries with the Leland Police Department says, “We’ve had an increase in traffic accidents since the construction started.”

More traffic accidents is one of the reasons why drivers are forced to spend more time stuck in traffic.

Mayor Brenda Bozeman says after several calls and emails from residents complaining about the daily traffic jam, she then contacted Police Chief Mike James to step in.

Some people took to the NC Leland Traffic Reports Facebook page to show appreciation.

After a successful first day, Lt. Humphries says he understands people’s frustration.

“Hope that by doing that, it’s going to help speed up the process as far as the commute in the mornings time for everyone where trying to get to where they need to go,” said Humphries.

He says expect to see an officer directing traffic on Village Road for a while.

“We are going to continue to go out and help with that.” Humphries said.

Police Chief Mike James says they plan to have an officer out directing traffic in the mornings at least through the end of next week.

The DOT says the diverging diamond project should shift traffic around November.