DOT Announces Slight Traffic Shift on Hwy. 328 Starting Tuesday

The Georgia Department of Transportation is announcing a traffic pattern shift on a southern Stephens County highway as the State Route 17 widening project continues.

Georgia DOT Spokesperson Teri Pope said that this week, crews will shift traffic on to temporary asphalt on State Route 328 at its intersection with the new State Route 17 in order to do work on that intersection.

Pope said that to build the new, four-lane State Route 17, all of the roads that intersect 17 must be changed to match the new highway.

“As we go through all of 17 that we are widening, those side streets have to be adjusted,” said Pope. “In Avalon, where 328 comes into 17, we have some temporary asphalt down and if weather cooperates with us, on Tuesday we will shift 328 traffic on to this temporary asphalt, so we can remove the existing asphalt and re-set the grade of 328 as it comes in to 17.”

Pope said that, unlike several other intersections, traffic will be able to use State Route 328 without a detour while this work takes place.

However, she said drivers on State Route 328 need to use caution while the temporary asphalt is being used.

“Pay attention and slow down, especially Tuesday and the first couple of days, so that you can get used to it,” said Pope. “If you do not pay much attention, you might not notice the shift. Just do what the barrels and the signs tell you to do.”

This is all part of the project to build a four-lane State Route 17 from Memorial Drive in Toccoa south to the Franklin-Stephens County line.

Crews are working on it as two separate projects, the northern end and the southern end.

Pope said work at both ends of the widening project is going very well.

“The 17 projects are both right on schedule,” said Pope. “Technically, it is two projects. They are right on target.”

The scheduled completion dates are both by May of 2016.

There is no word on how long traffic will use the temporary asphalt.