Traffic woes in Woolsey along Ga. Highway 92 and the two sections of Hampton Road that intersect with the highway will get $3 million worth of attention soon.
The Fayette County Commission has approved the conceptual design for a signalized Restricted Crossing U-Turn RCUT) improvement at Hwy. 92 and Hampton Road North, and a roundabout a short distance away at Hampton Road South.
The $3 million project is funded by SPLOST (special purpose local options sales tax) revenues.
The project’s next steps are design, right-of-way acquisition, and an 18-month construction.
County staff said the concept consists of two intersection changes that will provide safety and operational improvements to the area.
The first is the installation of a signalized Restricted Crossing U-Turn (RCUT) at the intersection of Hwy. 92 and Hampton Road North. This will provide a signalized left turn onto Hampton Road North from Hwy. 92 and force all turns from Hampton Road to be southbound (right only).
The second component of the project is a single lane roundabout with a southbound bypass lane at the intersection of Hwy. 92 and Hampton Road South.
A six-minute video about the project, including a simulation of how vehicles will traverse the RCUT and roundabout, is available at https://www.fayettecountyga.gov/
The design recognized concerns of congestion, traffic backups, speed on Hwy. 92 during off-peak hours and safety. The queuing of cars is especially problematic during morning and afternoon peak hours as drivers make left turns onto, and from, Hwy. 92, staff noted.
Staff said the lack of turn lanes and the frequent left-hand turning movements result in a high rate of rear-end crashes. Modeling of future conditions predict delays on Hampton Road (north and south approaches) exceeding several minutes in the “no-build” alternative.
The final concept was developed after a 12-month process of data collection and evaluation.
Commission Chairman Randy Ognio expressed thanks to “staff, the Fayette County Transportation Committee, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), and CROY Engineering for the efforts put forth to get us to this concept. This addresses safety concerns, traffic flow and congestion now and into the future.”
The project team determined the signalized RCUT and roundabout with southbound bypass lane offers the best combination of operations, safety and traffic calming improvements while minimizing property impacts and staying within the available budget, set at $3 million.
Other benefits of the project will include improved pedestrian features, stormwater control, and lighting.
The project is 100 percent funded with SPLOST revenues.
Following the commission’s approval on July 23, Mayor Gary Laggis of Woolsey said, “We are very appreciative of the work done by the county staff on this project and also the recent concept approval by the Board of Commissioners. These improvements will help relieve the increasing congestion and safety issues that have become significant concerns within in our town.”
Please contact the Fayette County Public Works at 770-320-6010 or publicworks@fayettecountyga.gov with questions.
