The summer travel is starting soon, which means there will be more cars on Georgia highways. Along with the increase in traffic, there are several big construction projects happening, including the 1-95 and I-16 interchange. The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) wants to remind drivers to stay alert in construction zones.
The number of crashes that happened in work zones throughout Chatham County of all types in 2020 totaled 331. In 2021, the total jumped up to 717. So far this year there have been 225 reported crashes.
“We always have signage that indicates there is work ahead so pay close attention to these signs you see and speed limits, we urge everyone, it is the law to buckle up and follow the speed limit because we want everyone safe as they travel,” said Jill Nagel with Georgia DOT.
Nagel said the department is getting ready for summer construction, including resurfacing projects that need to be done during the warm months. There are also several larger projects planned.
A $2.2 million project will update signals at the intersection of State Route 30 and Highway 21 and add a second turn lane from State Route 30 onto 21 heading towards I-95.
An additional travel lane will be added to the median north of Highway 30 to I-95. There will be a cross through put in at each road along Highway 21 to turn off onto side streets.
The Georgia DOT says all of the improvements will help traffic move through this busy stretch.
“When we approach a project it is always data driven so the numbers count and with the growth we’ve seen in Chatham County and Effingham County that has increased the volume and increased the data numbers so that is why this project has moved forward,” said Nagel.
Once all the updates are made at the intersection and to the median, the entire stretch from the state road 30 intersection to I-95 will be resurfaced and re-striped. Construction is already underway, with the entire project projected to complete by the end of this year.
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Source: WTOC
