Sometimes the cure can be worse

than the disease.

Fayette County government phone

lines have been humming with complaints ever since new three-way stop

signs were erected at McDonough Road and County Line Road last Tuesday

evening.

"We received about 25

calls this morning," public works director Lee Hearn confirmed last

week during a County Commission work session.

"We may have created a

problem rather than solved a problem," said Commissioner Glen Gosa.

During morning and afternoon

rush hours, the three-way stop has created a traffic jam on McDonough

Road, with cars backed up from County Line to Ga. Highway 54.

Part of the problem is the

number of motorists turning left onto McDonough Road from McElroy Road,

just a few dozen feet from the County Line/McDonough stop sign.

Many of those cars then turn

right onto County Line, leading Hearn to believe that aligning County

Line and McElroy so those motorists could go straight across would relieve

some of the problem.

That's in the works, he said.

The state Department of Transportation has agreed to realign the intersection,

erect a traffic light and add some turn lanes that should solve the backup,

he said.

But DOT is not moving very

swiftly on the project, he said. "Georgia DOT has been extremely

slow in helping get the job bid and out," he said.

Commissioners voted to send

a letter asking DOT to put the project on the front burner, and will discuss

the matter again at their meeting Thursday at 7 p.m.

In the meantime, the number

of accidents at the intersection as drivers try to negotiate the difficult

left turn from County Line and McElroy onto McDonough Road justifies putting

up three-way stop signs, Hearn added.

"I would ask for your

patience right now," he said. It could be that as drivers get used

to the new situation, they'll move through the stop signs more smoothly

and faster, he said.

Also, many drivers may begin

to take alternate routes, relieving the stall, he said.

He promised to monitor the

situation, along with Sheriff's Department traffic enforcement Lt. Bryan

Woodie, to see whether there's any improvement in the initial backup.

The Sheriff's Department also has put counters on McDonough, McElroy and

County Line to provide additional information for Thursday's commission

meeting.

As of Tuesday, Hearn said the

morning backup has been reduced, but the afternoon trip down McDonough

Road is about the same that it was last week.