Georgia State Senator Bo Hatchett says he hopes Friday was the first in a series of conversations with state transportation officials about improvements to the Georgia 365 corridor through Habersham County.
Hatchett, a Habersham County native who represents state senate district 50, was one of several local legislators in attendance at the meeting with Georgia Department of Transportation officials Friday regarding the safety of the highway.
The meeting came less than a week after a crash that killed five people, including the wife and children of a Hall County Sheriff's Deputy, at Mt. Zion Road.
"It's very dangerous, and if we don't address this problem, we are going to continue to see tragedy," Hatchett said Tuesday. "What that meeting was really focusing on was how we can expedite addressing the intersection at Mt. Zion Road."
Hatchett said GDOT officials are planning to install an R-cut interchange at the intersection. After Friday's meeting, that project has become the top priority for the department's quick response bid list.
An R-cut would only allow right turns coming from any direction into the intersection and would require additional U-turns to be placed nearby. Hatchett said he was told by officials that the bid is expected within the next 60 days with work on the project possibly beginning in the next 90 days.
However, he said that's not the only intersection along 365 that needs work.
"We have to address not only the Mt. Zion Road intersection, but really all the intersections up and down the highway because people are traveling so fast, and to enter that highway at zero and try to get up to 60 miles an hour is dangerous," Hatchett said. "One intersection that we talked about specifically was the Antioch Church Road intersection with 365. (Habersham County) Sheriff (Joey Terrell) brought up how dangerous that intersection is and the number of wrecks they work, so I would assume that that one obviously would be next on the list."
A statement from GDOT Monday said the group that met last Friday, which includes Hatchett, GDOT officials, Sheriff Terrell and other local legislators, has agreed to stay in touch and meet again regarding the corridor. Hatchett said he thinks that continued dialogue will be important.
"I have spoken directly with the commissioner of the DOT. We've spoken with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety," Hatchett said. "Everyone is looped in and we're all working towards the same goal. I would assume we would have, obviously some more meetings until these problems are addressed."
