Washington-area residents have an opportunity to learn about proposed changes to a section of 15^th Street in the city and comment on them.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will conduct an informational meeting from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s regional office in Washington, 943 Washington Square Mall. The proposed project runs from U.S. Highway 17 Business to U.S. Highway 264 (near Vidant Beaufort Hospital).

The project includes converting the existing multi-lane road into a four-lane, raised median divided road. The project is designed to improve overall traffic flow and traffic safety. Preliminary project designs are on the project website —

http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/publicmeetings — for public review and comment.

The meeting does not include a formal presentation by DOT personnel, but they will be available to display maps, answer questions and receive comments. Those comments and other information received will be considered as work on the project develops.

Last summer, John Rouse, a DOT engineer, told the Washington City Council the project had been approved with a $16.2 million budget, with construction to start in 2023. A DOT document dated Nov. 9, 2015, and modified Jan. 6 indicates construction has been moved up to 2019.

The project’s roots go back to 2000, according to DOT. The initial project called for improvements in the section of 15^th Street from Carolina Avenue (U.S. Highway 17 Business) to the Pierce Street area. The proposed improvements called for a divided road with a median separating the travel lanes.

DOT spokesmen said the project’s goal is to reduce the number of vehicles crashes on 15^th Street. Those crashes on that section of road occur about three times more frequently than crashes on similar roads in other areas of the state, according to DOT figures.