Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Athens in Motion Commission hears plan-revision delay, project-status roundup and crash-report highlights
Summary
With no quorum, the commission received a plan-revision update (technical issues delaying comment compilation), a detailed six-month projects briefing across sidewalks, multi-use paths and bike lanes (noting key timelines), a near-complete Firefly Trail phase and a crash report citing one recent fatality and persistent hotspot crashes at Lexington & Gaines.
The Athens in Motion Commission met for project updates and planning despite lacking a quorum and deferred formal votes. Staff reported a technical problem that temporarily blocked in-document comment compilation for the plan revision; as a workaround, staff will compile comments from separate downloads and submit them to the consultant (Tool), which is expected to return a final plan within two weeks for an Aug. 11 work session with the mayor and commission.
Daniel presented a wide-ranging six-month project-status update organized by project phase (planning, concept, preliminary engineering, land acquisition and construction). Notable project notes included:
- Atlanta Highway / West Broad multi-use path: $3 million programmed; GDOT leading alternatives review in project-concept phase.
- Vincent Drive and Stonehenge sidewalks: Vincent Drive moving to right-of-way acquisition; Stonehenge in design with completion dates not yet set.
- Barber Street bike lanes: segments 1–2 in final design; segments 3–4 undecided with traffic-calming alternative treatments under consideration.
- Prince Avenue corridor: several crosswalk elements were moved to GDOT’s Prince Avenue project; staff are working with GDOT on warrants for pedestrian hybrid beacons and refuge islands. Daniel said Prince Avenue bike-lane construction is expected to begin in early summer 2026 when the pilot configuration will be converted to permanent concrete barriers starting at the Blaski intersection.
- Jefferson River Road multi-use path: preliminary plans resumed after a change of consultants; coordination with CSX, GDOT, utilities and adjacent property owners is underway for a 10-foot shared-use path, with a tentative completion note around October 2028.
- Chase Street roundabouts and multi-use path: project in right-of-way acquisition under the GDOT Plan Development Process with right-of-way expected by April 2027 and bid/construction slated for fall 2027.
Todd provided a construction status update for Firefly Trail phase three: contractors are replacing cracked panels, installing a water fountain, and planning a targeted site cleanup on June 30; the contractor hopes to finish the current work by July 3 and staff said a ribbon cutting will wait for the completion of the next section.
Katie presented the monthly crash report and said the most recent month included one fatal crash (reported as someone operating a gasoline dirt bike without a helmet), additional serious crashes at the Lexington & Gaines hotspot, and a bicyclist recorded among vulnerable road-user incidents. Staff flagged that some crash incident details require follow-up and file review.
No formal commission votes were held because the meeting lacked a quorum; the commission will need a quorum at the next meeting to approve minutes and consider any action items.
