Bulloch County commissioners voted Tuesday to send a letter of support to the Georgia Department of Transportation with regard to converting an intersection to an all-way stop on Highway 46.
It would change how traffic flows at Highway 46 and Nevils Denmark Road. Currently, the speed limit is 55 mph on Highway 46, which is free flow roadway with no stops and Nevils Denmark comes to a stop via stop signs.
The data and recommendation is from a study dated April 14, 2017, saying a roundabout would be too expensive for the amount of traffic that goes through. Similarly, a traffic signal is not justified because approximately 2,000 vehicles per day go through at each leg of the intersection.
From the county commission agenda notes:
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has performed a traffic study of the SR 46 at Nevils Denmark Road intersection at the request of Bulloch County. The study is included in the agenda packet and recommends converting the intersection into an All-Way Stop. The intersection has experienced several traffic crashes with injuries, and converting it to an All-Way Stop is expected to reduce the frequency of traffic crashes with injuries. The traffic study reports that there were seven right-angle crashes at the intersection from 2015 to 2017. Bulloch County has also received requests from citizens for safety enhancements at this location.
GDOT requests a letter of support from Bulloch County before moving forward with converting the intersection to an All-Way Stop. GDOT would manage the project and install all traffic control devices. The County Engineer recommends authorizing the Chairman to sign a letter of support for the project.
County Engineer Brad Deal said there will be no cost to the county as GDOT will foot the bill, but a letter of support is needed.
County Manager Tom Couch asked if lighting was an issue with the intersection and if there were any plans to install lighting out there. There is no lighting in the GDOT proposal, but Deal said he would look into how to implement lighting out there.
Read the traffic study here.
View the letter of support here.
A vote to approve the letter of support was unanimous by commissioners.
