Dangerous Duluth Intersection to Get Traffic Signal

Duluth and Gwinnett County are going to share the cost of installing a traffic light at a dangerous intersection in the city. The new signal is estimated to cost $100,000 with the city and county each committing $50,000.

At its regular Feb. 13 meeting last night, the Duluth City Council approved entering into an intergovernmental agreement with the county to facilitate installation of the traffic signal at the intersection of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard (PIB) and Chattahoochee Drive.

“Over the past few months, several residents have come to us with concerns about the safety of this intersection,” Mayor Nancy Harris said.

Because of the number of accidents at this intersection, Duluth Planning Director Glenn Coyne said that the city had approached the Gwinnett DOT about the need for a light there. “The county agreed that a light was warranted and to split the cost 50/50,” Coyne said.

There have been several traffic fatalities at this particular intersection.

Gwinnett County has provided the design for the signalized intersection. The county will also coordinate the signal timing at the PIB/Chattahoochee Drive intersection with the signal at PIB and Sugarloaf Parkway during morning and afternoon rush hours.

The city council approved amending the city’s FY2012 budget for its share of the traffic signal installation.

Coyne said a timeframe for installation of the new traffic light had not yet been determined.

In other action, the council authorized contracts for the proposed Hospital Connector totaling $176,000 with three consulting firms so work on the connector can resume as soon as the roundabout construction is completed in the spring. The city is now acting as manager for the project.

The contract amounts, which the council included in the budget amendment, were $16,500 to Kimley Horn & Associates for traffic counts, $50,000 to Jacobs for environmental studies, and $110,000 to Clark Patterson Lee for engineering design.

The roundabout will link West Lawrenceville Street, McClure Bridge Road, and Irvindale Road with the Hospital Connector.