Georgia DOT gets earful on plans for Highway 316

Don Neff drives Georgia Highway 316 every day and he’s eager to see a smoother, safer ride.

“Less access points, that’ll speed up the traffic,” he said while attending a Georgia Department of Transportation meeting in the Barrow County town of Statham. “And probably the other thing would be an extra lane.”

The state’s focus is on a 40-mile stretch of Highway 316 from I-85 near Lawrenceville to Georgia Highway 10 outside Athens.

This divided four-lane highway is the primary route between metro Atlanta and the University of Georgia – and it’s busy.

Drivers say numerous intersections of two-lane roads with Highway 316 are especially accident-prone and they impede traffic flow.

Larry Griggs lives in Statham and says crossing the highway is nerve-wracking.

“You better know what you’re doing,” he said. “You got traffic on two lanes, traffic running 65, 70 miles an hour both ways.”

A state DOT study shows that 65 percent of the 40-mile route has experienced crash rates higher than the state average.

The state now has plans to build more than a half dozen interchanges, with bridges and on-ramps, along the 40-mile route.

One of those is under construction at Georgia Highway 11 in Bethlehem.

But GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale says the agency wants to look beyond those projects, which is why it’s having community meetings like the one in Statham.

“We are looking at congestion, the rate of crashes and where those are happening, and seeing what dynamic or innovative solutions can be built into projects,” she said.

She says there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the traffic problems along Highway 316.

What works on one portion of the highway might not work on another.

“As a road user, what will most impact your commute?” she asked. “How will you feel safer?”

The state’s primary goal is to reduce crashes and ease congestion.

It’s something Briana Booker of Statham says is seriously needed along Highway 316, but she also puts the blame on speeding drivers.

“I don’t think going 85 in a 65 is very safe, and all the roadwork they’re doing on top of that,” she said. “I just try to avoid (the highway) if I can.”

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