GDOT Engineers Offer Few Solutions to New Road Problem

The City of Avalon remains stalled on how to fix the problem of heavy traffic on New Road.

Ever since the Georgia Department of Transportation installed a concrete median at the intersection of Highway 328 and the new four-lane Highway 17, motorists coming to and from Lake Hartwell have been using New Road as a cut-through.

In late May, the Avalon City Council instituted a moratorium on all non-resident traffic using New Road and put up signs at the intersections of New and Tower Roads and New Road and Highway 17.

However, Monday night Council members agreed those signs are not working.

Councilman Roger Craven said they met recently with engineers from the Georgia Department of Transportation to see what could be done to stop the heavy flow of traffic on New Road.

“We met with them and explained our situation. They looked it over and their response was, ‘we’re going to have to talk to the higher powers,’” he said. “But what they could see was the possibility of making that intersection (New Rd.) like the 328 intersection, which would move the traffic somewhere else. Or, make it a dead-end street and stop traffic at Tower Rd. That would be kind of inconvenient for the residents, but it would stop the flow of traffic.”

Craven said the engineers could not approve any of those ideas until they received approval from Atlanta.

Councilman George Dean said GDOT District Engineer Russell Simpson promised to take the issue up with officials in Atlanta and get back to him with some answers, but so far, Dean said Simpson has not called him.

Councilman Keith Pressley said Avalon would not have the problem with New Road if GDOT had lowered the sight distance at the 328/17 intersection instead of putting up a concrete barrier.

“I don’t understand how they can make that kind of an error on a state bypass and close access to our state Highway 328 crossing that bypass,” he said. said. “I don’t understand how they can get by with that. If they would cut that part of the highway out and go back and grade it like it was supposed to be where you can see, and make 328 where it can go straight across, then they could put a flashing light there or whatever is necessary. They made an error and they covered it up by putting a big median in there and making a big hassle for the people of Avalon and for (other) people.”

GDOT crews put the concrete median in shortly after the new four-lane Highway 17 opened because of a wreck in which a motorist trying to cross the bypass was hit broadside by an oncoming car.

However, Council members noted the 328 median has caused its share of wrecks as well since it was put in.  Mayor Dean cited the Sunday, August 5th fatal wreck at that intersection as an example.

In that accident, a Toccoa man driving a van tried to go around the concrete median by turning south into the northbound lane from 328 and making an illegal u-turn in the middle of the road to access the median’s left-turn lane.

The van, driven by 82-year old Robert Todar of Toccoa, was struck by a Suzuki motorcycle driven by 41-year old Steven Serle of Savannah.

The impact threw Serle over the van and into the roadway where he died.  Todar faces multiple charges including second-degree vehicular homicide.

Councilman George Dean said they hope to have Russell Simpson come to their next meeting in September to discuss options for New Road.