Questions about the cost of lighting for two roundabouts to be constructed by the Ga. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Ga. Highway 92 South led to the item being tabled at the July 13 meeting of the Fayette County Commission.
Lighting and landscape maintenance responsibility would fall to the county. Commissioners said they wanted get additional information on the lighting cost before proceeding with the vote.
The two roundabout projects at Seay Road and Antioch Road are progressing, and DOT is requesting a local government agreement pertaining to lighting and landscape maintenance for the two nearby intersections.
Two public meetings were held in 2015, with some residents in favor of the intersection improvements and others opposed.
A May 2014 letter to DOT by then-Chairman Steve Brown noted the county’s support for the projects, and posed three questions related to the projects. The letter explained that the answers to those questions were not available at that time.
An April 2017 response by State Program Delivery Administrator Albert Shelby indicated that, to date, preliminary design and environmental studies have progressed significantly, and that right-of-way plans are in development and pre-acquisition activities have been initiated.
Pertaining to the questions asked in 2014, Shelby provided the following answers:
• What is the footprint with respect to the surrounding buildings and infrastructure? The proposed length is approximately .5 miles. The locations of the roundabouts have been designed to minimize impacts to the surrounding properties. Right-of-way plans are currently in development. At this point, ROW acquisition and/or easement is anticipated from a total of 18 parcels. No relocations are anticipated.
• What peak hour delays are expected with and without the improvements? The primary purpose of these projects is to reduce severe crash frequency at the two locations. A roundabout would provide the greatest reduction in crash rate at each location. For both projects, the analysis showed a roundabout would perform at acceptable levels in the design year. Without improvements, the current delays during peak hours could be expected.
• What will happen if Hwy. 92 is widened to four lanes? The potential widening has been taken into account. The roundabouts will be constructed with the diameter of a multi-lane roundabout but will be initially striped for a single lane. In the future, the center islands can be reduced to add a second lane without additional impacts to adjacent property. Also, Hwy. 92 between the roundabouts will be constructed with the width of a four-lane roadway, but initially striped for two lanes.
