The mystery traffic light is pictured here. It's the only signal between Glen Alpine and Rutherford College not operated by the NCDOT. It's located inside the city limits of Morganton. Do you know where it is?
The mystery traffic light is pictured here. It's the only signal between Glen Alpine and Rutherford College not operated by the NCDOT. It's located inside the city limits of Morganton. Do you know where it is?
As Burke County trivia questions go, it’s a true stumper, one befitting Final Jeopardy:
Of the nearly 100 stoplights in Burke County, only one between Glen Alpine and Rutherford College is locally controlled.
Where is it?
We'll give you one clue: It's in the city limits of Morganton.
While you’re formulating a guess, let’s dive into – or drive into, as the case may be – the reasons why the city only has one stoplight under its jurisdiction, a fact that surprises some people.
“People are always amazed when they hear that the City of Morganton Streets Department operates exactly one stoplight,” outgoing City Attorney Louis Vinay said with a laugh.
The primary reason is fairly simple and straightforward.
Downtown Morganton is unique in that most of its streets are also state or federal highways: Union Street is U.S. 70; Avery Avenue is U.S. 64; North Green Street is N.C. 181; South Sterling Street is U.S. 18; and so on.
As a result, all the stops along those roads, whether they intersect with city streets or not, are the province of the Department of Transportation. That’s true across the rest of North Carolina as well, with the exception of a few lights on military bases and national parks, which are the responsibility of the Federal Government.
Smaller communities with fewer streets, like Glen Alpine, Valdese, and Drexel, have U.S. 70 as a main thoroughfare, so their lights are all DOT-controlled as well.
Countywide, the DOT operates 96 traffic signals, with 68 of them inside the Morganton City limits. There are more than 9,000 red lights in the state.
Until 2021, the city also maintained a stoplight at the corner of South College and West Concord streets. But in July of that year, the light quit working. Morganton put up a four-way stop at the intersection. The arrangement worked out well, and a few months later, the City Council voted to make it permanent.
And then there was one.
OK, Burke Countians, the Final Jeopardy music has finished playing and it’s time to write down your answers.
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(3) comments
N. Anderson and Collett Street
You are so close!
Collett at King Street
Welcome to the discussion.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.