The Georgia Department of Transportation Tuesday announced the recipient of an RCUT contract for an intersection along Ga. 365 that saw a fiery five-fatality wreck in July.
GDOT has awarded the contract to Vertical Earth, Inc. for the construction of a restricted access U-turn (RCUT) at the intersection of Ga. 365 and Mt. Zion Road in Habersham County. Bidding for the project opened on Aug. 7, and closed Monday. Six companies bid on the project, according to GDOT Communications Officer Elizabeth Johnson.
An RCUT would only allow right turns coming from any direction into the intersection and would require additional U-turns to be placed nearby.
This project is part of the Quick Response Program, which allows GDOT to “quickly identify, approve and construct small traffic operations safety projects on the state route system,” officials said Tuesday.
Mt. Zion Road at Ga. 365 has been identified as one of several intersections that are due for RCUT improvements. Officials believe this will improve traffic flow and safety.
This response comes just over a month after a fiery wreck at the intersection that resulted in five fatalities.
On July 16, a Ford Explorer driven by Avonlea Holtzclaw, 29, of Dahlonega, attempted to cross the intersection. She had her two children, ages 5 and 6, in the vehicle with her.
As Holtzclaw entered the intersection, a Chevrolet Corvette with two passengers traveling southbound on Ga. 365 collided with the Explorer, causing an explosion.
The Corvette was reportedly going over 150 miles per hour at the time of the collision, according to Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell. All five people involved in the wreck were killed.
The Georgia State Patrol continues to investigate the accident, but the Corvette’s occupants were identified as Mitchell Boggs, of Marietta, and Seyhan Kilincci, of Roswell. It is currently unclear which of the men was driving, the GSP said earlier this month.
Several RCUTS have already been installed along the Ga. 365 corridor, and GDOT officials said work on the project should “begin shortly.”
