The recent announcement of a 4-way stop being installed at J Warren Road and Level Grove Road in Cornelia left some wondering why the county opted for that type of traffic device instead of a roundabout.
The county explains its decision, pointing out that the two roundabouts currently planned for Habersham County are being built on state roads. J Warren and Level Grove are county roads. The amount of time and money it would take to construct a roundabout weighed heavily in the county’s decision, says Habersham County Public Information Officer Rob Moore.
Moore says a 4-way stop allows the county to more quickly address traffic concerns at the J Warren and Level Grove intersection. By using funds from its 2023 state Safety Action Plan grant, Habersham can more quickly obtain the resources needed.
Cost analysis
A rough estimate of the 4-way stop project provided by the county puts the price tag at around $25,000. The county will contribute 30% of that, or $7,500. The money will pay for two solar-blinking LED stop signs, one solar radar speed limit sign, two regular stop signs, pavement markings, and rumble strips.
Moore says the county spent “a couple of thousand dollars” on the traffic study used to determine the need for better traffic control at the Level Grove intersection. The estimated project total is less than $30K.
“This project, from first discussion to completion, may be a total of 1.5 to two years,” he adds.
In contrast, installing a roundabout would have taken much longer and cost Habersham much more. For comparison, the county provided this cost analysis on the roundabouts the state Department of Transportation is installing in Demorest and Clarkesville:
SR 105 at SR 115 in Demorest
Engineering = $560,000
Right-of-way acquisition = $410,000
Construction = $3,543,802
Utility relocation = $67,800
Total = $4,581,602
SR 197 at SR 385 in Clarkesville
Engineering = $1,250,000
Right-of-way acquisition = $1,150,000
Construction = $2,575,238
Utility relocation = $192,938
Total = $5,168,176
“State traffic studies, engineering, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, and construction costs for the roundabouts are about 168 times more expensive than the quick fixes of the county’s four-way-stop intersection,” says Moore. He adds that the state projects may also take around 10 to 15 years to complete from concept, “so they take 7 to 8 times as long.”
Based on the costs, time – in both years and possible lives saved – and the complexity of the projects, the county opted for the four-way stop as its most viable solution to the traffic concerns at J Warren and Level Grove roads.
