GAINESVILLE – It’s been over a decade but the idea of a road linking State Route 53 (Dawsonville Highway) to State Route 60 (Thompson Bridge Road) still draws a crowd.
According to GDOT representatives, 491 people attended the Public Information Open House in 2007, when the Sardis Road Connector was a new idea. Thursday night the number of attendees was just under 300, but still a strong showing.
The smaller turn-out probably has to do with the fact that plans have been available for eleven years and many people, especially those who liked the idea, have studied the plans and saw no reason to leave the comforts of home on a cold, drizzly evening.
The objectives of the estimated $53-million project shared by Hall County and the Georgia Department of Transportation have remained the same:
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Improve connectivity between SR 53 and SR 60
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Reduce traffic on SR 53 and SR 60 entering the City of Gainesville
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Improve intersection design
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Improve safety
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Provide pedestrian access and facilities
Since the 2007 Open House the urgency to reduce traffic on SR 53 into Gainesville (also known as the Dawsonville Highway Corridor) has risen exponentially, causing some agencies, such as the GHMPO, to push for faster action on the project.
What also has changed since 2007 is the cost of the project as land acquisition and construction costs have climbed. The 2018 price tag is just over $53.826-million.
The project as presented Thursday evening will break down as follows:
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Hall County will be responsible for acquiring the right-of-way (ROW) at an estimated cost of $22.874-million.
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Hall County will be responsible for relocating utilities such as fiber optic cable, electrical power lines, telephone lines, gas lines, etc. at an estimated cost of $845,824
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GDOT will pay for the construction of the roadway and all the work associated with the 3.41-mile project at an estimated cost of $30.133-million
Once the design is finalized ROW acquisition will begin in 2019. ROW width will vary depending upon the degree of excavation required, ranging from 100-150 feet. A typical section of the roadway would consist of four 12-foot wide travel lanes, two in either direction and separated by a 20-foot wide raised grass median.
Sixteen-foot wide shoulders on both sides would include a 10-foot wide multi-use path on the east side of the roadway and a 5-foot wide sidewalk on the west side.
Dan Ladd lives on Ledan Road and will have his driveway directly on the bypass.
He came to the meeting wondering about his access on to the divided four lane road. It appeared from the drawings that he’ll need to make a U-turn across the median in order to go to town. Ladd was also concerned about the degree of incline the end of his driveway would have before entering the roadway.
“It is what it is,” the cordial Delta Airlines employee said. Ladd has lived at his residence for several decades and feared living on a four lane road would lower his property values.
Glen Ewing works for the Gainesville Police Department and lives off Ledan Road. He said the bypass will have the positive effect of reducing congestion on Dawsonville Highway.
“It probably will; that’s the whole idea of the plan,” said Ewing. “We’ll see. We’ll see, but I think it will.”
Tom Haywood lives at the point where the connector ends on Mt. Vernon Road. He said he attended the meeting because he was concerned how much money was going to be spent by Hall County.
Haywood said, “We had SPLOST V that did collect money for this project and then it got set aside, so my question coming in was: ‘Where’s the money coming from?’”
He complimented Hall County staff member Denise Farr for patiently answering his questions and explaining how the funds set aside earlier are being used on Spout Springs Road construction but would be reimbursed once the project is completed.
Lydia Park lives in the Chimneys Subdivision off Ledan Road and says she has paid close attention to the project despite the 11-year delay. “It’s about time. I want it done before I’m dead,” Park said with a laugh.
Several smaller issues remain to be determined such as whether or not to make the intersection of the bypass with Sardis Road a lighted exchange or to enlarge the existing roundabout to a four-lane feature.
An informal poll was taken with interested parties placing a colored peel-off sticker on the side of the scoreboard that indicated their preference regarding the roundabout.
As one man said as he placed his sticker with the vast majority wanting to keep the roundabout, “This looks about as lopsided as an Alabama football score.” When he made his whimsical comment the “scoreboard” displayed a 69-10 differential.
Click here to view design plans for the connector.
