To: Melvin Davis, Chair, Oconee County Board of Commissioners, Jim Luke, Commissioner, John Daniell, Commissioner, Bubber Wilkes, Commissioner, and Mark Saxon, Commissioner
Oppose Unneeded Road Projects in Oconee County GA
Please sign this petition if you oppose Oconee County signing agreements at this time with the Georgia Department of Transportation to move forward with the widening of Daniells Bridge Road and the construction of the Daniells Bridge Road extension and flyover.
Why is this important?
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners is considering a request by the Georgia Department of Transportation to begin design work immediately for the widening of Daniells Bridge Road and for the construction of an extension of Daniells Bridge Road that would fly over SR Loop 10 to Home Depot.
Construction funding is programmed to be released in 2018.
The widened Daniells Bridge Road would provide an alternate route to the widened Mars Hill Road and, with the extension and flyover, would carry traffic from Watkinsville to Epps Bridge Parkway. The flyover could have entrance and exit ramps to and from SR Loop 10.
Oconee County Public Works Director Emil Beshara told The Oconee Enterprise that the roadway would not relieve traffic congestion and its primary purpose is to spur economic development (Feb. 12, 2015, A1).
The cost of the two projects is unknown, with one estimate of the flyover alone costing $20 million. What percentage of the costs the county will have to pay is not specified.
The agreements before the county specify the time frame and that the county will have to reimburse the state for any spent federal funds if the county terminates the projects once the agreements are signed. The bulk of the money for extension and flyover would come from the federal government.
The agreement would move the two Daniells Bridge Road projects to the top of the priority list, ahead of improvements to Simonton Bridge Road, which county data shows has more traffic, and a flyover of the Oconee Connector of SR 316.
Because of costs of these and other county road projects, the Board of Commissioners is considering a property tax increase effective for the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1 of this year.
Construction funding is programmed to be released in 2018.
The widened Daniells Bridge Road would provide an alternate route to the widened Mars Hill Road and, with the extension and flyover, would carry traffic from Watkinsville to Epps Bridge Parkway. The flyover could have entrance and exit ramps to and from SR Loop 10.
Oconee County Public Works Director Emil Beshara told The Oconee Enterprise that the roadway would not relieve traffic congestion and its primary purpose is to spur economic development (Feb. 12, 2015, A1).
The cost of the two projects is unknown, with one estimate of the flyover alone costing $20 million. What percentage of the costs the county will have to pay is not specified.
The agreements before the county specify the time frame and that the county will have to reimburse the state for any spent federal funds if the county terminates the projects once the agreements are signed. The bulk of the money for extension and flyover would come from the federal government.
The agreement would move the two Daniells Bridge Road projects to the top of the priority list, ahead of improvements to Simonton Bridge Road, which county data shows has more traffic, and a flyover of the Oconee Connector of SR 316.
Because of costs of these and other county road projects, the Board of Commissioners is considering a property tax increase effective for the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1 of this year.