New US 421 interchange opens in Randolph County

LIBERTY — The second interchange on U.S. 421 to help serve the Toyota battery plant and improve safety and mobility in the region opened to traffic Monday afternoon.

The new interchange at the southern leg of Shiloh Road includes roundabouts at the on/off ramps. Roundabouts have been shown to reduce overall crashes by 41% and those involving traffic deaths or injuries by almost 80% where they have been constructed in North Carolina. The N.C. Department of Transportation has videos and other information on its roundabouts webpage.

Contract crews for NCDOT spent the past two months doing the ramp realignments and other tie-in work, the paving and pavement markings needed to fully open the interchange. The final layer of asphalt and markings will be replaced in the spring when the weather is warmer.

With the opening Monday, drivers on the southern section of Shiloh Road on one side of U.S. 421 or on Starmount Road on the other side of the highway may now enter and exit U.S. 421.

This is the second U.S. 421 interchange built near the Toyota battery plant; the first one opened about 1.5 miles to the north at Julian Airport Road and Dogwood Lane in 2024.