GDOT seeking input on Murphy Highway Project

The project will see about 8.7 miles of Murphy Highway widened and improved between GA 515 and GA 325/Nottely Dam Road/Ivylog Road.

GDOT has been planning the project for at least two decades with goals to “reduce crash frequency and severity and to improve operations and safety along the SR 11/US 19/US 129/Murphy Highway corridor.”

This will be the project’s third Open House in nine years, including one in 2017 and another in 2022. Most recently, the state split the project into three phases, with the first phase estimated to begin construction in 2030, though all dates are subject to change.

Phase 1 is the largest part of the project at 5.3 miles in length. Murphy Highway will be widened from two to four lanes between GA 515 and Pat Colwell Road. From there, the highway will be widened to three lanes up to Gumlog Road, alternating between a middle turn lane and passing lanes.

Three roundabouts were previously planned for the Phase 1 corridor at the Murphy Highway intersections of Pat Haralson Memorial Drive, Pat Colwell Road and Gumlog Road. However, the plans have been revised such that only Pat Haralson will be getting a roundabout.

GDOT will be installing a Restricted Crossing U-Turn, aka RCUT, at Pat Colwell Road and a traffic signal at Gumlog Road. A new clear-span bridge has also been planned where Murphy Highway crosses over Butternut Creek to replace the existing quad box culvert.

Phase 2 will feature the construction of a roundabout at Murphy Highway and Blue Ridge Street, which is currently a four-way stop, with construction estimated to begin in 2032.

Phase 3 is estimated to start construction in 2033, to include widening 3.4 miles of Murphy Highway from two to three lanes between Gumlog Road and GA 325. The third lane will alternate between a middle turn lane and a passing lane.

In other updates, the plans now include deceleration and turning lanes “at appropriate locations” to keep traffic flowing on Murphy Highway, with sight distance improvements as well.

“This meeting is primarily informational,” said GDOT Project Manager Adolfo “Tony” Villarroel about the Oct. 6 Open House. “We want the public to understand what the project is, where it is going, and what to expect.

“That said, there are still meaningful opportunities for public input on elements that can be addressed and incorporated.”

According to Villarroel, examples of public input that could be considered for incorporation include driveway conflicts and access concerns; speed concerns in specific areas; signage requests – “for example, a lighted ‘slow down’ sign was proposed by the public on a different project and we were able to implement it”; and other localized safety or operational concerns.

“So, while the major components of the project are largely set and the meeting is designed to inform the public of what is coming, there are still plenty of actionable items the public can raise that can influence the final details and implementation,” Villarroel said.

As to why GDOT is holding the meeting now when construction is estimated to be several years out, Villarroel noted that the state is currently in the final plans phase and acquiring right-of-way in anticipation of getting to work as soon as possible.

“We are moving forward with the public involvement process now so that we can inform the public of the proposed improvements and be prepared to proceed as funding becomes available,” Villarroel said. “Funding dates are subject to change, and if funding is accelerated, we need to be ready to begin construction. Acquiring right-of-way now ensures we can proceed without delays should that happen.”

GDOT has planned about $48 million in property purchases to convert approximately 200 acres of land to transportation right-of-way along the 8.7-mile project corridor.

The acquisitions will result in 14 business relocations, 20 residential displacements, and two active churches facing partial property acquisitions, namely Redeemer Baptist Church at 0.63 acres and Unity Church of the Mountains at 0.05 acres.

“All communities would receive the benefit of increased mobility, congestion relief, and safety improvements,” according to GDOT. “Redevelopment opportunities would be anticipated to follow construction. Adverse effect to the community is anticipated (regarding construction).”

Among other information to be presented in the Open House, GDOT will be prepared to discuss three main impacts of not moving forward with the project:

1) “Without the proposed capacity and intersection improvements, the existing traffic operations will not be improved.”

2) “Congestion will continue to worsen, and travel delays will increase without the addition of travel and turn lanes, and intersection improvements.”

3) “The crash rate on the project corridor already exceeds the state average. Without improvements, dangerous conditions will persist and likely worsen as traffic grows.”

According to a summary of crash data between 2019 and 2023, there were 777 crashes over the length of the project corridor, which resulted in 176 collisions involving injuries and four fatal wrecks.

In addition to other safety improvements, the installation of a roundabout at Pat Haralson, an RCUT at Pat Colwell and a traffic signal at Gumlog roads will be traffic-calming measures to slow down vehicles and minimize opportunities for accidents, according to GDOT.

Regarding the RCUT, this intersection design would require all traffic coming from Pat Colwell Road to turn right, and if motorists wanted to head north on Murphy Highway from there, they would need to use the nearby roundabout at Pat Haralson Road to make a “downstream U-turn.”

For more information, visit https://sr-11-murphy-hwy-widening-0018219-122200-and-0018220-gdot.hub.arcgis.com/. People can leave comments on the project through Oct. 23.