Over 50 people attended a Partnership Habersham-hosted meeting at North Georgia Technical College Wednesday, March 26 – when residents and local leaders saw a list of GDOT’s current and future road plans for the county, their impact on transportation and raised questions about areas where future improvements are needed going forward.
Justin Lott, a pre-construction engineer with Georgia’s Department of Transportation, unveiled over 19 projects that aim to upgrade infrastructure and account for growth expected in Habersham in the coming years.
During a presentation, Lott outlined a combination of projects such as roundabouts, bridge replacements and RCUTs.
An RCUT, also referred to as a J-Turn, is an intersection design believed to reduce crashes by changing the pattern traffic crosses or turns left at major roadways, according to GDOT, thus reducing the potential for conflict with other vehicles.
Recently completed RCUTs along GA 365 in Habersham include the new patterns at Yonah Post Road, Alto-Mud Creek Road and Mt. Zion Road.
According to Lott, before the end of the year, $4.3 million in new RCUTs are planned at Luthi Road, Charlie Davis Road, LC Turner Road, Double Bridge Road, Hazel Creek Road, Hulsey/Jess Kinney Road, Rock Road, U.S. 23/U.S. 441/SR 15 at Antioch Church Road, Wilbanks and Cody roads, as well as a new U-Turn between Mt Zion Road and Crane Mill Road.
With a majority of RCUTs planned around Baldwin, city officials have long been vocal skeptics of the new patterns.
In an interview with Now Habersham after the meeting, Baldwin Mayor Stephanie Almagno questioned the effectiveness of RCUTs, which GDOT officials insist make for safer roadways through the reduction of collision points.
RCUTs, while well-intended, have posed a challenge to the city’s first responders, who are now tasked with navigating RCUT patterns instead of traveling straight across the road.
This, according to Almagno, creates delayed response times in the event of emergencies.
“It doesn’t take into account practical use of the highway,” Almagno said. “Theoretically, it’s interesting – but practically, it’s not…it takes (more) time for them to cross the roads, and that’s with experienced drivers.”
Baldwin’s Chief Administrative Officer Emily Woodmaster expressed a similar belief.
“We must now cross 365 at Duncan Bridge,” Woodmaster said. “There’s no longer the option to head south down BC Grant and across on Wilbanks, Charley Davis or LC Turner. And if we are responding to a medical emergency on the south side of 365 that requires EMS, EMS has to turn to the right and do a U-turn at Alto Mud Creek Road or through an R-cut to head to the hospital in Habersham.”
At the meeting Wednesday, Lott told those in attendance that while there may be some opposition to RCUTS, GDOT officials maintain the patterns make for safer roadways.
“It is less convenient,” Lott said. “But I will say that sometimes, at (G)DOT, we kind of have to take choices away because drivers typically will choose convenience over safety … I kind of think (full-access median) opens will be a thing of the past, just because of the safety aspect of it.”
Lott, who said there is data that indicates RCUTs make roadways safer, stated after the meeting that certain modifications can be made to accommodate first responders – namely shortened medians of four inches instead of six inches.
“If there were some concerns, we could address those specifically,” Lott said.
Traffic at Carpenters Cove Lane
Toward the end of the meeting, Cornelia city officials and Habersham County residents raised concerns about traffic and heavy congestion at Carpenters Cove Lane in front of Walmart.
An estimated 25,000 vehicles travel down Business Highway 441 there in front of Walmart on a daily basis, according to Cornelia Community and Economic Development Director Jessie Owensby.
Owensby told Now Habersham after the meeting that an additional exit from GA 365 onto Business Highway 441 is much needed. So far, GDOT has no plans for an additional exit in that area – though plans to widen the highway there are being discussed.
“We’ll keep talking to (GDOT) and hopefully our input means something,” Owensby said. “There’s no plans currently, but there needs to be. I don’t know that (widening) will be the best solution. There’s a lot needed right there. I feel like there needs to be a whole traffic pattern change almost in the way we’re traveling that road…that area between Cannon Bridge and VFW Post Road had about 80 car accidents last year.”
Cornelia Commissioner Mark Reed agreed on the need for an additional exit there, citing heavy traffic congestion.
“It’s very congested, and it’s going to get worse,” Reed said. “We’ll just have to leave it to the experts…we just have to continue to engage GDOT and Partnership Habersham and try to work together.”
