Politics & Government

Open House Scheduled on Ga. Hwy. 120 Improvements

GDOT engineers, City of Duluth staff to explain proposed projects to citizens, answer questions.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is holding an informational open house on long-awaited improvements to Ga. Hwy. 120 in downtown Duluth. GDOT announced it has scheduled the open house to inform citizens and interested parties about four proposed Ga. Hwy 120 projects from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday (March 24) at the Duluth Festival Center, 3142 Hill St. GDOT engineers and City of Duluth staff will be available discuss the proposed projects.

The first two projects propose widening and realignment of Ga. Hwy. 120 from the Norfolk Southern Railroad turning north onto Main Street then west following the highway to its intersection with Hill Street. This reconfiguration would provide a free-flow through lane from Buford Highway to Hill Street and would alleviate traffic back-up and lane change conflicts.

The third project includes five-foot wide-sidewalks along Ga. Hwy. 120 and crosswalk enhancements. The sidewalks would improve pedestrian accessibility to Duluth’s Commercial District, the Monarch School and Duluth High School.

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The fourth project improves pedestrian amenities at Ga. Hwy. 120 and Buford Highway including sidewalks, enhanced crosswalks and median refuges for pedestrians. This intersection does not currently have continuous sidewalk connections. The existing sidewalk is in disrepair, and the crosswalk striping is faded.

“The Hwy. 120 realignment is a project that Duluth citizens have been waiting on for over a decade,” said Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris. “This project will allow the city to move forward with the long-range vision of making Duluth more of a walkable community with connecting sidewalks. This project should also help to alleviate some of the traffic congestion that often happens near a railroad crossing,” Harris said.

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There will not be a formal presentation during the open house. Instead GDOT and city staff will explain the proposed projects and answer questions. “We will be sharing plans for these projects,” said GDOT District Preconstruction Engineer Robert Mahoney. “We want to include the community in the process now so we incorporate their ideas into the plan. Please come see the proposals and let us know what you think.” According to GDOT, public input will be considered in development of the final design for the projects. Comment forms will be available at the open house.

Citizens unable to attend the public information open house may send their comments on the project to Glenn Coyne, City of Duluth Planning Director, Duluth City Hall, 3167 Main St., Duluth, GA 30096. Deadline for submitting comments is April 8. Plans can be viewed at Coyne’s office and at the GDOT website. On the GDOT home page choose “Information Center,” then Public Outreach,” select the project’s county, and choose “Go.” A list of active DOT projects in that county will appear. Select the Ga. Hwy 120 project in Duluth to view the proposals.


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