At a county commission meeting earlier this month, Hall County Commissioner Jeff Stowe told the residents of his district that the Georgia Department of Transportation had nixed the idea of a traffic light at the busy intersection of Gaines Mill Road and Athens Highway. He also promised a Dec. 5 meeting for area resident's on GDOT's alternate proposal.
According to county officials, GDOT wants to build what's known as an RCUT - or Reduced Conflict U-Turn) to eliminate left turns coming from Gaines Mill onto Athens Highway. Under the plan, motorists could still make left turns from Athens Highway onto Gaines Mill.
An RCUT design calls for concrete barriers that eliminate left turns - in this case, the left turns from Gaines Mill Road. Drivers coming from Gaines Mill who would ordinarily turn left onto Athens Hwy would now need to turn right and make a U-turn. The goal of this setup is to mitigate conflict points and increase sight distances for drivers who are turning into traffic.
"As government leaders, we are always looking for feedback from citizens in order to inform our decisions. I encourage any resident or stakeholder who has feedback on the proposed changes to attend this meeting and have their voice heard,” said Stowe in a prepared statement.
The meeting will be held Saturday, Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Greater Timber Ridge Church, located at 2225 Timber Ridge Circle, Gainesville. If it’s raining, the event will be moved to the Commission Meeting Room on the second floor of the Hall County Government Center, located at 2875 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville.
Residents can get more information by calling 770-297-5541 or emailing Joseph Boyd at [email protected].
