The North Carolina Department of Transportation has dropped its plan to remove several traffic lights on Queen Street in Kinston after residents and city council members expressed concerns at a public hearing.

“The Kinston Town Council passed a Resolution to keep the signals in question up and not to be removed. NCDOT currently has no further recommendations for Queen Street,” said Jim Evans, Division Traffic Engineer, NCDOT Division 2. 

While DOT argued that the removal would improve traffic flow, opponents cited potential problems for pedestrians and handicapped individuals.