Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Road Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents recount rollover crash at Highway 53 intersection; commissioners say DOT roundabout project is underway
Summary
Residents of Presbyterian Village described a Nov. 11 rollover and recurring crashes at the intersection of Highway 53 and Malcolm Bridge/Ray's Church Road, urging safety fixes. The board said right-of-way has been secured, the design is nearly complete, and the state DOT expects to let a roundabout project in the second quarter of next year.
Residents told the Elk County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 25 that a recurring dangerous intersection near Presbyterian Village needs redesign to prevent future serious crashes.
"It was frightening," said Lynn Merrill, a resident of Presbyterian Village, describing a Nov. 11 T-bone crash that left her vehicle rolled onto its roof and temporarily trapped. Merrill said good Samaritans and emergency personnel aided her and her husband and urged action to prevent similar incidents.
Alan Merrill, a resident who previously served on the Chattahoochee Hills city council, pressed elected officials on the economic toll of frequent collisions, estimating roughly $100,000 in property damage from the single crash and asking what a redesign would cost.
"All in all, in just a property-damage accident, there's a $100,000 that happened in a matter of a few seconds," Alan Merrill said.
Chair (unnamed) responded that the county has been coordinating with the state Department of Transportation on a roundabout at the intersection. "We have already secured the right of way. The design is almost done. DOT expects to let that project in the second quarter of next year," the Chair said, adding that an old store and barn on the site will be removed to prepare for construction.
The presentation and public comments linked the safety issue to broader planning work in the county; other residents in the room thanked the speakers and expressed relief that design and right-of-way work are in progress.
Next steps described at the meeting: the county and DOT will proceed with final design and advertisement for construction with a target letting in Q2 next year. No construction schedule or contract award was confirmed during the Nov. 25 meeting.
