Elbert County officials, school weigh traffic fixes at Singing Hills Elementary

Monty Hankins, Elbert County public works director, convened a meeting to review traffic and safety issues at Singing Hills Elementary on County Road 166 in Madrid and to discuss short-term changes and longer-term options.

Hankins said the county and the school have tested a new traffic pattern that moves some staff parking to a recycled-asphalt lot on the southeast portion of the school property and uses the existing paved lot as a drop-off/pick-up drive-through. "I'm the Elbert County public works director," Hankins said. He described the recycled-asphalt option as a way to route vehicles in a U-shaped flow that reduces stacking onto County Road 166.

A school representative said the new pattern appears to reduce backups near Firehouse Street but remains "a 10-minute challenge at the end of the day." The representative added the district operates eight to nine buses from the site and cited bus egress as a primary concern that motivated interest in a traffic signal.

Why it matters: County staff and school leaders said the changes aim to reduce vehicle congestion on County Road 166 and lower risks to students gathering on the front lawn. A county-commissioned traffic study, however, found the intersection does not meet engineering warrants for a traffic signal or a four-way stop, which affects whether and how the county can justify signal installation and related road work.

Key facts and discussion

- Traffic study: Hankins said Kimley‑Horn, a nationwide engineering firm, completed a traffic count and concluded that neither a traffic signal nor a four-way stop is currently warranted at the Madrid/County Road 166 intersection. He said the county has those findings available and shared them with local officials.

- Interim fix tried: The school and county agreed to try using a recycled/asphalt (crushed-gravel) parking area as part of a looped pick-up/drop-off pattern. Hankins and school staff said that pattern has reduced some queuing onto 166, and county staff donated recycled material to build the gravel lot.

- Safety concerns: School staff said an increase in unmonitored foot traffic on the front lawn last year prompted changes to reduce children gathering in that area and to keep them away from moving vehicles. School staff said the changes aimed to reduce the risk of students running into traffic during dismissal.

- Bus traffic and circulation: School staff said the site currently dispatches about eight to nine buses and that clearing buses onto 166 is a major challenge. The school asked whether the county could help with bus egress but noted the sheriff's office lacks staffing to control traffic for bus departures.

- Cost and downstream work: Hankins warned that installing a traffic signal could cost substantially and carry additional road-work costs. He identified a very broad signal-cost range discussed at the meeting ("$8,500 to $800,000") and said adding turn lanes and right-of-way acquisition on Madrid could add an estimated $300,000 to $500,000. Hankins recommended budgeting any signal project through the county capital program rather than using ad hoc funds.

- Alternative options: County staff and Elizabeth Fire Department representatives discussed possible roundabout designs and whether a future roundabout could serve the school; Hankins said roundabouts can be designed to accommodate school buses. Attendees also discussed on-site modifications, additional grading of the recycled-asphalt lot to reduce rutting, and longer-term site connections such as a back access road, though some potential back access areas contain utilities, a leach field or historically were a dump site with state monitoring wells.

Decisions and next steps

- Monitor and reassess: Attendees agreed to continue the revised traffic pattern for the coming school year and to monitor safety and queuing. Hankins suggested re-evaluating if congestion increases or safety incidents occur.

- On-site follow-up: Hankins offered to meet on-site with school and fire personnel (and, if needed, the county engineer) within the next one to two weeks to review circulation and potential grading or layout changes.

- Capital planning: Hankins said any signalization or turn-lane work should be placed in the county's capital improvement plan (CIP) and budgeted rather than pursued immediately, given current traffic-study findings.

No formal motions or votes were recorded during the meeting; the group reached no binding decisions beyond agreeing to monitor the revised circulation and schedule follow-up site visits.

Ending

County and school representatives said safety is the priority and that they will continue coordinating with Elizabeth Fire Department and county engineers. Commissioner McDaniel was not present and will be briefed on the discussion; county staff said they would return to the commissioners if monitoring or follow-up engineering raises the need for capital investment.