GAINESVILLE – When Hall County leaders meet Wednesday with the Georgia Department of Transportation they will be asking GDOT a few questions that county commissioners were unable to definitively answer themselves at Tuesday’s commission work session.
Two imminent road projects, on opposite ends of the county, generated concerns commissioners were not sure how to answer.
The timing of the new questions could not be any better as commissioners, members of the GHMPO and other county leaders are scheduled to meet with Russell McMurray, Commissioner of GDOT on Wednesday.
“Can you help us?” Darlene Long of Flowery Branch asked commissioners about the issue in south Hall County.
Long lives in Quailwood, an upscale subdivision off Martin Road, near the site of proposed Exit 14 off Interstate 985.
“I’m concerned about the traffic that will be dumped on to Martin Road and the safety issue part of it,” Long said.
Others in her community had similar concerns as she presented commissioners with 76 signed petitions from Quailwood asking for further consideration to be given to the planned exit.
Ms. Long told commissioners that earlier in the day she had been to the policy committee meeting of the Greater Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization to share her concerns about the proposed new exit. She asked the GHMPO to do a thorough traffic study of the impact the exit would have on neighborhoods lining Martin Road.
The GHMPO agreed with her request for the study and now she was asking county commissioners for their help as well. "I'm asking for your commitment to this traffic study," Long said.
“This whole thing with Exit 14,” Commission Chairman Dick Mecum told Long, “the Commission had little if anything to do with it. It basically came from the MPO group”
Commissioner Scott Gibbs told Long that since the funds for Exit 14 come from the federal government they could be lost if the project changes significantly.
“It’s not an either/or,” Gibbs explained. “There is no leeway on the grant from the federal government; it either goes there or it doesn’t go anywhere.”
“The state basically is bringing this in and dumping it on us, in effect,” Mecum said. “The thing is now they’ve created a problem; the question is ‘How do we solve it?’ Is there a better way to do this?”
Hopefully that answer will come from Wednesday's meeting with GDOT.
The other road construction issue that generated unanswered questions came with the presentation of plans for the 4-lane roundabout to be built at the busy intersection of Sardis and Ledan Roads.
GDOT has a long-standing plan to construct the Sardis Connector, a way for traffic on Highway 60 (Thompson Bridge Road) to connect with Highway 53 (Dawsonville Highway). Funding limitations have delayed indefinitely implementation of that construction.
Commissioners, however, feel that the county cannot wait for the GDOT.
Last month commissioners asked Public Works Director Ken Rearden to have engineers design a 4-lane roundabout for that intersection, saying the county could not wait until GDOT has funds to construct the full Sardis Connector.
Rearden presented those design plans to commissioners but cautioned them, “If we go ahead and do this, this would not be reimbursable through GDOT because we would be ahead of their program.”
Rearden said estimated cost for the project was approximately $4-million: $2.3-miilion for construction work, $400,000 for utility relocation, $315,000 for design and engineering fees and $1.1-million for right-of-way acquisition.
Commissioners questioned certain aspects of the estimated cost, saying they sounded out of line. Gibbs said, “I’d rather have a $4-million estimate on a $2-million job than a $2-million estimate on a $4-million job.”
“We’ve got a problem today; we’ve got to fix the problem,” Gibbs said. He then asked if GDOT would credit the county for monies spent to build the roundabout now once they finally decide to build the Sardis Connector.
Another unknown factor in the equation.
“Maybe we can have a conversation with GDOT,” County Administrator Randy Knighton suggested. “This will enhance the entire project…maybe we can have a conversation about the funding mechanism they’re using.”
“If they would give us some kind of credit for right-of-way acquisition down the road,” Gibbs said regarding the meeting with GDOT on Wednesday, “I don’t mind spending now.”
Several key questions remain about upcoming road projects. Hopefully, Hall County Commissioners and the Georgia Department of Transportation will come away from Wednesday’s meeting with some fresh answers.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/5/398224/hall-commission-seeks-answers-from-gdot-officials-about-road-projects