Oconee County asks GDOT for more study of Watkinsville bypass after residents warn of farmland loss

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners voted May 5 to send a formal resolution to the Georgia Department of Transportation asking for more study and options before GDOT advances a proposed Watkinsville bypass alignment.

The resolution — read by Commissioner Hardin and approved by the board — asks GDOT to perform a small-area study of the State Route 15 corridor inside Watkinsville, assess local impacts of the recently opened inland port in Gainesville, coordinate any Watkinsville solution with a potential U.S. 441/Bishop bypass, consider an alignment inside Watkinsville city limits that minimizes new asphalt, and explicitly oppose any route that would displace farmland protected by the county’s Farmland Preservation Program.

The resolution matters because several proposed alignments would cross or abut long-held family farms south of Watkinsville and could require significant land acquisition, speakers said. “Join us in defending these farmlands, the wildlife and the legacy that makes South Oconee County worth fighting for,” said Alan Bell, who introduced himself as a lifelong resident. Multiple residents described multigenerational farms and urged the commission to press GDOT for alternatives.

State Representative Eric Gessler (District 121) told the commission GDOT is "very much in the alignment phase" and said the agency has concept-phase funding and funding for right-of-way acquisition once an alignment is chosen. Gessler said he has spoken with GDOT officials and that signal-timing and operational changes already are being reviewed: a GDOT signal engineer, Gessler said, has adjusted peak plans and is continuing corridor work.

Residents pressed the commissioners to protect agricultural land and to push GDOT to explore solutions that rely on existing city corridors rather than new roads through farms. "This land isn't just about acres or property lines. It's about heritage and identity," said Clara Wilkes, who said two of the proposed routes cross her family's 150-acre property.

Commissioners framed the resolution as a request for more data and dialogue rather than a rejection of the need to address traffic. The board also included language asking GDOT to coordinate any Watkinsville bypass with the US 441/Bishop alternatives to avoid sequential projects that could shift impacts across the same communities.

After public comment from farmers, residents and elected officials, the board moved, seconded and approved the resolution. The motion passed unanimously on the voice vote recorded at the meeting; the clerk noted the resolution will be transmitted to GDOT the following morning.

What happens next: the resolution asks GDOT to return with additional study and alternatives. GDOT officials previously held a public information open house on April 16, 2026; the county's resolution highlights that process and requests further local analysis before alignment decisions proceed.

Sources: Oconee County meeting transcript and on-the-record public comments.