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GDOT to hold open house on double roundabout construction detour
Roundabouts scheduled for Hwy. 9 and Dawson Forest Road intersection
A-GDOT open house pic 1.jpg
Georgia Department of Transportation Project Manager Heidi Schneider talks to a citizen about proposed roundabouts at Hwy. 9 and Dawson Forest Road during an open house May 15, 2018. - photo by Allie Dean

The Georgia Department of Transportation will hold an open house on March 12 at Riverview Elementary School to answer questions and gather feedback from citizens regarding a detour route necessitated by a planned double roundabout at the intersections of Hwy. 9 and Dawson Forest Road.

The project proposes replacing two existing intersections with two single-lane roundabouts.

The open house is intended to provide the public with an opportunity to view the proposed detour, ask questions and comment on the project and detour.

The open house will be held from 5-7 p.m. and the public can drop in any time.

The roundabouts have been in the works since at least 2011, when GDOT asked county officials to support improvements at the busy intersection.

Double roundabout
The Georgia Department of Transportation is holding an open house March 12 for citizens to learn more about a detour planned during the construction of a double roundabout at the intersection of Hwy. 9 and Dawson Forest Road. Photo courtesy Georgia Department of Transportation

GDOT held an open house in May 2018 to show the plans for the intersection improvements to the public.

Officials with GDOT stated that right of way will have to be acquired for the project, which is estimated to cost around $4 million.

The double roundabout is estimated to open in the summer or fall of 2021 after 18 to 24 months of construction. GDOT is expected to award the contracts for the work in July, with a potential start date for construction later in the summer.

The reason that two single-lane roundabouts are necessary at the crossroads is due to the existing structure of the two intersections, GDOT officials have said. The roundabouts will be constructed independently of each other since the existing intersections are offset from each other.

Katie Strickland, District One communications officer with GDOT, said that once completed, the roundabouts will actually reduce conflict points and enhance safety.

“You’re not going to have the high-speed angle crashes, you’re not going to have the left turn crashes, you’re not going to have the head-on collisions,” Stickland said. So those three will be eliminated from these roundabouts.”

Between 2009 and 2014, there were 40 crashes, 30 injuries and no fatalities at the intersection, according to Strickland.

“Converting this to the roundabout could result in reducing crashes by 45.6 percent, and that was part of the study that (GDOT) did,” she said.

Strickland also said that the traffic capacity of the intersection will last for 20 years.

The open house will be informal and the public is invited to attend at any time during the two-hour window. A court reporter will be available to allow the public an opportunity to make verbal comments about the project. 

Written statements will be accepted concerning the project until March 12.Written statements may be submitted to:      

Mr. Eric Duff

State Environmental Administrator

Georgia Department of Transportation

600 West Peachtree Street, NW – 16th Floor

Atlanta, Georgia 30308