It is perhaps the biggest pile of dirt west of Jockey’s Ridge, only without all the fringe benefits associated with a national attraction as the one found on the Outer Banks.

Hertford County is now the home of that pile of dirt. More specifically, the NC 11 & 11 intersection now has a man-made mountain on its eastern side.

In response to years of motor vehicle accidents at that intersection, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has devised a plan they hope will lower the number of crashes.

Their plan looks like a children’s playground on steroids. Even worse, their plan looks like someone took the easy way out.

Instead of a real solution, we got a pile of dirt…..along with new directional signs plus a new stoplight at a nearby intersection.

It’s almost like the 1800’s again – the government giving liquor and shiny trinkets to Native Americans in order to earn their trust.

If this pile of dirt was the answer to a traffic problem in Wake County, some DOT official would be looking today for a new line of work.

While we sympathize with those whose family members have been killed or injured at the junction of NC 11 & 11, it’s really not a dangerous intersection by design. Those required to stop at that intersection can see at least a mile in either direction.

The real danger is within the driving skills, or lack thereof, of the motorists. Accident reports show those motorists coming to a complete stop, but failing to yield the right-of-way. How they miss an oncoming vehicle at that wide-open intersection is beyond imagination.

Whether or not that element of danger will now move to the NC 11 and Modlin Road intersection is yet to be seen. For now, we’ve got a big pile of dirt to stare at and we’re just waiting for the first emergency vehicle to be dispatched there after an adult or youngster on an ATV attempts a daring deed.