Elbert County to monitor new traffic pattern at Singing Hills Elementary after midyear changes

Elbert County Public Works Director Monty Hankins convened a discussion with school officials and Elizabeth Fire Department representatives on a persistent traffic congestion problem at Singing Hills Elementary School on County Road 166 in Madrid and said the county will monitor a newly installed recycled-asphalt loop this school year rather than immediately pursue signalization.

The change followed a traffic study and a December 2024–January 2025 meeting in which county and school staff agreed to shift the main flow to a newly topped recycled-asphalt lot and to use the existing concrete lot as a drive-through pick-up/drop-off lane. The participants said the adjustment has so far reduced queuing on County Road 166 and the risk of blocking the fire station driveway, but concerns remain about bus egress and long-term capacity.

Why it matters: School dismissal and pick-up congestion affect student safety, emergency vehicle access and county capital budgets. A traffic signal and turn-lane work would carry large upfront costs and right-of-way implications; county staff urged budgeting before advancing those options.

Monty Hankins, Elbert County Public Works Director, said the county supported construction of the recycled-asphalt parking surface and is treating the new configuration as a temporary measure while monitoring its effects. Hankins also said the county previously commissioned a traffic study from engineering firm Kimley Horn that found the traffic did not meet warrants for a traffic signal or a four-way stop at the Madrid/County Road 166 intersection.

Cara, an Elizabeth Fire Department representative, said the prior configuration — when two lanes in front of the school allowed cars to queue on 166 — had impeded fire apparatus movement and required apparatus to enter and back down the school driveway. Cara said the new loop that guides cars around the crushed-gravel area has lessened queuing onto 166, but she cautioned that bus departures still present the biggest challenge to getting emergency vehicles clear access.

Amber Sorg, principal of Singing Hills Elementary School, said the school made the midyear change because of safety concerns after observing children playing unattended on the front lawn and running toward traffic. Sorg said the district has added classrooms to accommodate growth and is planning use of a new Independence school site to relieve long-term enrollment pressure.

Hankins outlined preliminary cost considerations cited by staff: the transcript quoted a wide range, "8,500 to $800,000," for signalization alone and an additional "$300,000 to $500,000" to add turn lanes on Madrid, should those changes be required. Hankins said any signal project would likely need to be budgeted through the county's capital fund and associated engineering and right-of-way work would raise total costs.

School staff described operational details and constraints. The school reported roughly eight to nine buses serving Singing Hills, which complicates clearing multiple buses at once during dismissal. District officials said a demographer study projects about 1,000 additional students in the district over seven years, with growth concentrated in the northwest quadrant; the planned Independence school is expected to absorb some future students.

Participants discussed other options raised previously and in recent site work: grading and periodic maintenance of the recycled-asphalt surface to address rutting along turning paths; using alternative egress points where feasible; and consulting a traffic-flow engineer for a site-specific plan. County staff noted subsurface constraints near the east side of the property, including monitoring wells and a former dump area, that limit expansion in that direction.

No formal vote was taken. The group agreed to continue the current traffic pattern at the start of the school year, monitor how the recycled-asphalt loop performs, and reconvene or pursue on-site assessment if problems recur. Hankins offered to meet on-site with school and fire staff — and, if needed, the county engineer — to evaluate access, grading and possible shorter-term fixes before recommending major capital work.

The meeting record shows county staff have already provided recycled asphalt for the new lot. Officials said the priority is student and emergency-vehicle safety and that substantial capital projects such as signalization or turn-lane widening should be planned and budgeted if monitoring shows those are necessary.