With no prior notice and no fanfare, the signal lights that controlled traffic crossing Gywn McNeil Bridge in and out of Jonesville were removed by the N.C. Department of Transportation Tuesday.

"We're pretty excited about the change," said DOT Division Traffic Engineer Dean Ledbetter said Wednesday.

He acknowledged there were no warning about the traffic light changes immediately prior to their removal.

The traffic signals removed were at the intersection of Elm Street and North Main Street just inside the Jonesville town and Yadkin County line edge along the Yadkin River.

The traffic signal was also removed at the intersection of Elm Street in Jonesville at the corner of the Hess gas station.

The traffic signal removals also necessitated changing the turn lanes in both directions. Southbound off of Bridge Street from Elkin narrows from two lanes to one at the left turn onto Elm Street just across the McNeil Bridge. Elm Street narrows from the two turn lanes into one lane northbound onto Bridge Street toward downtown Elkin.

"It really came together at the last minute," Ledbetter said. But, he said, the removal of the traffic signals was being planned for the last six months, in preparation of the resurfacing project that is ongoing.

The removal of the signals, said Ledbetter, will make traffic moving from the Elkin side of the bridge into and out of Jonesville flow more "smoothly."

"The traffic should flow pretty well in both directions," said Ledbetter, who added that approximately 11,000 vehicles cross the bridge in both directions each day.

He said drivers wanting to make a left turn off of Elm Street onto North Main Street in Jonesville shouldn't have "too much of a delay."

Ledbetter acknowledged there will be some drivers not happy about the changes but that since the closure of the Hugh Chatham Memorial Bridge and the changes in how people shop, especially in downtown Elkin, the changes were necessary to keep traffic flowing in both directions.

On Thursday, it had been reported to the Jonesville Town Hall that the stop sign for the left turn off of Elm and on to North Main had already been knocked down.

Ledbetter said DOT is examining other signal changes in the area.