The Dawson County Board of Commissioners last Thursday approved a request to fund a concept improvement plan for Lumpkin Campground Road, which has seen increased traffic over the past several years, compounded by the construction and opening of the new continuous flow intersection at Ga. 400 and Hwy. 53.

The request was presented by Public Works Director David McKee at the board’s Nov. 21 work session. The portion of the road in question runs from the Dawson and Forsyth County line north across Dawson Forest, across Hwy. 53 and out to Ga. 400.

McKee said that the concept plan would include identifying areas that need improvements, pinpointing challenge areas (Lumpkin Campground and the graveyard at Bethel United Methodist Church for example) and estimating construction cost for a three-phase project.

“We have met with GDOT folks and our state representative folks that have requested this information from the county so that they can then assist in funding the improvements to this corridor,” McKee said. “This is the first step and kind of a long process.”

McKee said that it has been recommended the project be completed in three phases due to cost. The first phase is the section that spans from Dawson Forest Road at the roundabout north to the Hwy. 53 intersection.

“That’s the corridor where we’re seeing the most congestion,” McKee said. “We just finished a four-way intersection improvement there and we know we’ve got work to do at the Hwy. 53 intersection. The roundabout is functioning sufficiently now.”

The second phase of the project would be from the Forsyth County line just past Harry Sosebee Road to the roundabout at Dawson Forest, and the third from the Hwy. 53 intersection to Ga. 400 behind the movie theater.

“Another important note is as developments occur along this corridor, we will have a plan that we can require developers to build to rather than just looking at each of these developments individually,” McKee said.

McKee requested up to $20,000 for the concept plan, and said that as Lumpkin Campground Road improvements are a SPLOST VI project, the funds could come from SPLOST.

The request was approved unanimously at the board’s Dec. 7 meeting.

Hwy. 52 and Hwy. 183 Roundabout

A recent press release from the Georgia Department of Transportation states that a project contract has been awarded to a Marietta paving company for a roundabout in Dawson County.
One of many roundabouts planned in the county, the roundabout at the intersection of Hwy. 52 and Hwy. 183 in Dawsonville is expected to be completed in spring of 2020.

The project was awarded to Baldwin Paving and is expected to improve the safety and operation of the intersection.

It was just one of many projects recently awarded to GDOT’s northeast region totaling over $11 million.

According to the release, resurfacing projects in Hall and Forsyth counties make up more than half of the $11 million in contracts awarded.