Rockfish volunteer community board members joined state Rep. Garland Pierce, Hoke County Sheriff Dr. Hubert Peterkin and North Carolina Highway Patrol Commander Maj. Freddy Johnson Tuesday morning in celebrating a new traffic light that they hope will reduce accidents and improve safety.

The new traffic light is turned on at the intersection of Gillis Hill Road and Lindsay Road, and blinking lights warning of the new traffic pattern are in place. The area also recently received a new traffic light at the intersection of Davis Bridge Road and Arabia Road.

Residents and the Rockfish community board have worked for years to improve traffic conditions in the community. Rockfish resident Larry Chason, who works with the volunteer board, said he was glad to see it happen.

“We’ve got a lot of good, positive things going on,” he said.

Next on the list of improvements is a caution light at the intersection of Rockfish Road and Pittman Grove Church Road, another intersection that’s had more than its share of accidents.