Lights go on at Cary intersection

The town of Cary and the state Department of Transportation expedited the installation of lights at Green Level to Durham Road and Cary Glen Boulevard after a teenager lost her life in a wreck there.

Posted 3:27 p.m. Aug 11, 2009 — Updated 3:51 p.m. Aug 11, 2009

CARY, N.C. — The traffic signals will be switched on Thursday at the Cary intersection that was the site of a fatal wreck in June.

The Town of Cary and the state Department of Transportation expedited the installation of lights at Green Level to Durham Road and Cary Glen Boulevard, completing the project 60 days ahead of schedule, the town announced in a press release Tuesday.

Kailee Nicole Birdsong, 16, was killed and her stepmother and 3-year-old brother were injured June 22 at the intersection. The next day, WRAL News cameras caught another wreck at the same location.

A study in July found that the intersection met the DOT's criteria of a high volume of traffic or at least five wrecks in a 12-month period to warrant a light.

When the town announced plans for the light, resident Dawn Cross said, "We're thrilled. We can't believe they're doing it. It really shows that the Town of Cary is putting the people first, especially their youngest citizens."

Green Level to Durham Road and the Cary Glen intersection are owned and maintained by the state, which installed the lights. Cary paid the estimated $60,000 for the traffic and pedestrian signals.

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