No traffic light for W. Campus Drive at 441

Some GCSU students believe installing a traffic light at the intersection of West Campus Drive and the U.S. 441 Bypass should be a top priority.
“There is an urgent need for a light to be put up,” said Jordan Bentle, a sophomore marketing major who lives at Magnolia Park Apartments. “Most of the drivers at the intersection are students, so we are the ones at risk.”
The intersection connects the 441 Bypass to Bobcat Village and Magnolia Park. A total of 1,274 students live at the two complexes located about two miles west of campus.
Melissa Olsen, property manager of Magnolia Park Student Housing LLC, said she believes there is a definite need for a traffic light at the intersection.
“It is a huge concern for us and our residents,” Olsen said. “There is going to be someone killed out there. I’m a little surprised it hasn’t already happened.”
Magnolia Park paid a consultant to conduct a traffic study to see if there was a need for a traffic light.
“Prior to the study, we felt there was an obvious need for a light, so we built our entrance wide enough that it could accommodate large quantities of traffic,” Olsen said.
Olsen said the Georgia Department of Transportation agreed to provide equipment such as the traffic lights and electronic cables, but the remaining costs totaled around $100,000.
West Campus Drive is primarily used to access parking facilities for  Bobcat Village, GCSU athletic events on West Campus and Baldwin High School. 
Olsen said Magnolia Park has been unsuccessful in getting GCSU and the City of Milledgeville to agree to split the cost to install a traffic signal.
Milledgeville City Manager Scott Wood said although safety is a concern, the city does not have the budget to install a traffic light at the intersection.
Wood said the Department of Transportation reviewed the intersection and conducted a Development Regional Impact study on the area.
“The study suggested a
traffic light and it was considered,” Wood said. “But it was determined by the City and the DOT that the circumstances didn’t warrant a traffic light.”
Installing a traffic light would defeat the purpose
of a bypass, which is to provide a continuous flow of traffic, Wood added.
 “A bypass is built to be

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a bypass, not an intersecting street,” Wood said. “That’s not to say a traffic light will never be installed, just as of now, there are no immediate plans, as the circumstances don’t warrant it.”
Bryan Jackson, director of university communications at GCSU, also expressed concern. According to Jackson,  GCSU’s first priority is the safety and well-being of its students. There is also the problem of restricting traffic flow on the bypass.
Some students believe that the City and GCSU should do all they can to provide safety for drivers
“The intersection poses a great threat, not only to students, but to the entire community,” said Chris Lawler, a sophomore who lives at Magnolia Park. “That is something GCSU and the city of Milledgeville should be deeply concerned with.”
Lawler also said he has witnessed several close calls at the intersection.
Andrew Tomaszewski, a biology major living at Bobcat Village, said not only does the bypass threaten student’s safety, but it also backs up traffic with students trying to pull out of Bobcat Village and Magnolia Park.
“I’ve had times where I was late to class because I sat for 10 minutes waiting to pull out,” Tomaszewski said.
Matt Conkle, another sophomore living at Magnolia Park, agreed that during busy times of the day when the traffic gets heavy, it is difficult to drive across the intersection.
“I can see the potential for there to be many accidents at times when the traffic is backed up,” Conkle said.
Tomaszewski also expressed safety concerns with regards to the shuttles.
“I’m constantly afraid a shuttle might get into an accident pulling in or out of Bobcat Village,” Tomaszewski said. “What would happen then?”
Jackson said GCSU has rerouted its own shuttle service to avoid the intersection.    
“In the interest of student safety, GCSU has also taken steps to prohibit private shuttle services from entering the Bobcat complex, because we found they were increasing the risks of an accident by crossing the four lanes of traffic on the bypass,” Jackson said. The new restriction was established after a discussion took place concerning Magnolia Park’s use of the GCSU shuttles.
Jackson said an alternate plan for the intersection might be to divide the bypass with a median barrier, which would eliminate the intersection completely. This would create right-turn only lanes, so drivers would no longer be able to cross the busy intersection. However, these plans would have to be taken into consideration by professional traffic engineers.
Other ideas suggested by students were to improve lighting along West Campus Drive and to add turning lanes into and out of the Bobcat Village complex.
Although there are no immediate plans to construct a traffic light at the intersection, Olsen said Magnolia Park will not drop the issue.
“We are not backing off the table, but we will not pay for the entire light,” Olsen said. “We want to protect our residents.”
She feels installation of the light should be a shared responsibility  and that there is a lack of cooperation from city and school officials.
“But what is fair is fair, and people should step up to the plate when it’s part of their responsibility,” said Olsen.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 6 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry