Another red light for U.S. 411?
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Bartow County Commissioner Clarence Brown has asked the Georgia Department of Transportation to conduct a traffic study at the highway’s intersection with Macedonia Road.
Brown said he’s not necessarily looking for a stop light, but he wants something done to stem the increasing number of wrecks at the site.
“It’s pretty regular over there, and there have been some bad ones,” he said.
Rome and Floyd County officials have tried to limit the number of signals on U.S. 411, which is the area’s main link to Interstate 75. Most recently, they filed an objection to two signals planned as part of the 180-acre Walker Ridge development near Old Gilliam Springs Road. The signals have been granted but not installed.
“We’d certainly like to keep 411 as much of an open expressway as possible,” Rome City Manager John Bennett said.
Floyd County’s 2006 special purpose, local option sales tax package contains $3.3 million to buy right of way for frontage roads along the four miles between the bypass and the Bartow County line.
Brown said he favors limiting the number of potential stops on the highway, but Bartow County’s portion of U.S. 411 is nearly 12 miles long.
“Floyd County buying up property for frontage roads is a great idea, but they just have a short section to buy,” he said. “Ours is estimated at $17 million to $20 million, and we don’t have that kind of money.”
Macedonia Road also is a heavily used link within the county, he said, feeding from Taylorsville and Euharlee — which is Bartow’s second most populous city behind Cartersville.
“A lot of people coming out of Macedonia are headed to Rome for shopping,” he said. “But drivers coming over that hill (on 411) are going too fast for them to get out of the way.”
GDOT spokesman Mohamed Arafa said staffers started the study when Brown phoned the district engineer on May 6, and a decision could come within the next two weeks.
“They’ll see if it warrants signalization, or something else,” Arafa said. “Sometimes signalization reduces one type of crash but increases another type. It’s possible some other traffic control mechanism — a stop sign, warning or flashing lights — could be used to enhance safety.”
Factors in the decision will include the traffic volume, the sight-distance, the type of traffic and the accident history, he said.
The ones that have tags are the same everyday.
Some of these drivers have been driving with no tags for more than a few days.
Sorry to be late in commenting on this as I have been waiting on a follow-up article that should have. Didn't happen. I may have missed the follow-up and I didn't look hard enough for Mr. Brown's email addy so here I am.
The 'traffic study' I saw was a GDOT station wagon parked in the tall grass of the median at the subject intersection for 2 consecutive days. The lone occupant was observing the vehicles comming from Taylorsville-Macedonia Road (TMR) onto US 411 and either turning left toward ROME or right across the Etowah River and toward Kingston. TMR is a 2 lane road.I have seen cars on TMR at the stop sign side by side; the right one turning right on the grass between the left turning vehicle and the stop sign. It would appear that both drivers' visions would be blocked.
I drive the Cartersville to Rome section of 411 twice a day ( 7:30 am and 3:30 p.m.).
I can tell you YES the average speed of cars during those times is well over the posted limit. My observations show there is no incentive for the drivers to reduce their speeds. The enforcement committment is just not visible.
Even the 45 MPH at the School Zone at Kingston Elementary Scool (Hardin Bridge Road) is largely ignored.
The bridge over the Etowah on Hardin Bridge Road has been closed for replacement for some time. It was a 6 Ton bridge but before closure I followed concrete trucks (weighing over 6 tons empty) over it. The GDOT detours are routing cars from Euharlee onto TMR. Traffic on TMR is 'artifically' high until the bridge is back. If I were coming from Euharlee to US 411 or US 41 I would prefer to go Hardin Bridge were there is a traffic light already working at US411.
My solution to reduce the number of accidents at TMR and US411 is:
1) Enforce the existing speed limit. If need be reduce the limit and enforce it.
2) Enforce the School Zone or remove it. As it is
not enforced now only encourages our aggressive drivers to be more so.
3) Replace the bridge over the Etowah already. Replace it with a heavy duty bridge.
4) If 1,2,3 above do not yield an improvement, arrange for a " Safety Corridor" from 1 mile East of Hardin bridge Road to 1 mile West of TMR. This Safety Corridor would:
reduce speeds to 45 MPH.
prohibit passing.
be marked to prohit lane changes.
require headlights on.
I believe instead of calling the GDOT engineer to
fix the perceived problem Mr Brown should have picked up the same phone and called the GSP to fix the real problem.
If the fix is still up to GDOT, then design a new intersection at 411 and TMR that would allow separate turning lanes in all directions. An acceleration lane in both directions. It could be funded by the money saved by not cutting the grass.
5 months and no change.....the grass hasn't been cut either.