Public works staff asked the commissioners at the Oct. 6 workshop to accept a FY25 Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LAMIG) safety action-plan award for East McIntosh Road and to authorize the county match.

Staff said the Georgia Department of Transportation committed $319,200 toward safety improvements on approximately 5.1 miles of East McIntosh Road from Route 155 to Lakeview Street. The submitted total project budget was $415,000 and includes GDOT funding of $319,200 with a required 30% local match.

The project scope identified safety deficiencies including limited sight distance, narrow shoulders, multiple curves and a documented history of run-off-road and angle crashes. Proposed improvements include enhanced signage, raised pavement markers, selective shoulder widening (two to three feet in places), rectangular rapid-flashing beacons at certain intersections, guardrail upgrades, rumble strips and updated pavement markings. Staff said the local match would come from existing road funds and a specific road-funds line item.

Staff recommended the board approve and accept the GDOT award so the project can proceed under the off-system bridge and safety programs administered by GDOT. Commissioners asked technical questions about shoulder width, rumble-strip placement (lateral strips adjacent to the white line) and sight-distance work; staff said their public-works engineer will study curves and propose a signage and pavement-marking plan similar to recent improvements on other county roads.