After a man was killed crossing Atlantic Avenue in North Raleigh, WRAL Investigates found the traffic signals meant to make the intersection safer still aren’t operational.
Dennis Dillion, 34, was killed in late June after getting off a GoRaleigh bus. Surveillance by a nearby business shows Dillion crossing in front of the parked bus while traffic continues to go by in the northbound lane.
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A truck goes by, and Dillion steps out into traffic to cross. More than four seconds pass, and another vehicle strikes him, tossing Dillion into the air. Raleigh Police indicate the driver had the right of way, stayed on the scene, and showed no signs of impairment. That driver is not facing charges while the investigation continues.
The intersection has all of the markings of an area where people should cross. GoRaleigh has a bus stop in either direction at the intersection, and there are bold, white painted lines on the ground.
However, when looking up at the traffic signals and for the paired crosswalk signals, the posts are there, but those safety signals are covered in burlap. Installed, but not yet operational.
“I would love to see them operating,” Crystal said. “It makes a difference.”
“How do we know when it’s safe to cross?” Mira said.
Recently, due to renovations at its main site, the Second Street Place homeless shelter took up residence at a temporary site on Bramer Street, which runs perpendicular to Atlantic Avenue. It’s greatly increased the amount of foot traffic in the area.
It’s raised concerns for Andrew Capranos, who runs a nearby business.
“We have a very vulnerable population that’s being asked to cross this road every day to get to their housing,” Capranos said. “I think that’s really what’s predicated some of these issues.”
Capranos showed WRAL Investigates a number of close calls of people crossing Atlantic Avenue, dipping between vehicles, waiting on the concrete median, waiting for an observant driver to stop and let them cross.
But Capranos' cameras caught the worst-case scenario last month. A deadly crash that did not surprise him.
“I would say I’m relieved that it hasn’t happened more,” Capranos said. “This is something that’s been going on for months.”
It’s truly been an issue for years. Atlantic Avenue has been under construction for several years now. The City of Raleigh tells WRAL that part of the reason it’s been going on so long is that the original contractor did not complete the job and the legal process to hire another contractor took time.
It anticipates the project to be substantially complete by the end of this summer.
In the last 5 years, Raleigh Police say there have been 18 crashes at this intersection, including June’s fatal crash.
Within the last few months, a city spokesperson says those new traffic signals were installed but are not currently in operation. A Google Street View shows that, as of February 2026, they were not installed.
GoRaleigh added the stop to Route 14 Atlantic this year, with service beginning March 22, 2026. It calls it a “busy” stop with 150 to 160 people getting on or off the bus here each day.
“The stop is close to neighborhoods and employment centers and is placed with those in mind,” the City said in a statement.
But with that increased foot traffic, nearly four months later, the signals meant to help those riders and other pedestrians safely cross the busy road remain covered.
“When the traffic signal is not in operation, that is a type of location that has a higher risk, especially given the overall design of that particular road,” Robert Schneider said.
Schneider is a professor of Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He has worked in the transportation safety field for more than 25 years, receiving his master's from UNC Chapel Hill.
He analyzed the intersection with available photos, maps, and surveillance video of the deadly crash.
“Pedestrians are looking for a gap in traffic for when to cross, or they’re using a crosswalk, which would require drivers to yield to them,” Schneider said. “When the traffic signal gets installed, it allows drivers to see a red light, and they know that they should be stopping. That, combined with pedestrian signals, which tell the pedestrian when it’s okay to walk, these additional signals help make that interaction [between driver and pedestrian] clearer, more straightforward. Safer.”
WRAL Investigates has sent a list of questions to the City of Raleigh about this intersection including:
· Why aren’t the traffic and crosswalk signals operational yet?
· Why did GoRaleigh put two bus stations at an intersection without proper operating pedestrian safety signals?
· Does the City bear any responsibility for the safety of pedestrians at intersections without proper operational safety equipment?
· Is the City considering any changes at this intersection in light of this deadly crash?
The City of Raleigh has acknowledged our email and is working on responses. We will update this story when those questions are answered.
Carpanos just hopes these signals are put into operation soon so he’s not witness to another deadly crash.
“It’s a recipe for disaster.”