Dozen rundown homes facing wrecking ball; questions still linger at Macon Road crossing
There is good news for some people living near crumbling homes in Columbus while more questions continue for many residents over a new intersection design on Macon Road.
The city is spending $125,261 to tear down a dozen homes that have been declared a nuisance or that are in such disrepair the property affects the health and welfare of the surrounding community. John C. Hudgison, director of Building Inspections & Code Enforcement Department, said the contractor for the city has been preparing to start work on the properties since Columbus Council approved demolition in June.
The homes are scattered throughout the city, from the north end to the south end of the county. The dozen include: 3020 Fourth Ave.; 816 34th Ave.; 402 Timberlane Drive; 505 23rd St.; 908 Benning Drive; 329 25th St.; 755 Portland Ave.; 3045 Reese Road; 601 23rd St.; 607 23rd St.; 218 28th St. and 138 Torch Hill Road.
The cost to raze each lot ranges from a low of $6,156 to a high of $17,649.
If there is a dilapidated house in your neighborhood but it’s not on the list, you may call the 311 center to have it inspected. The owner is notified and required to bring the property into compliance if it’s in disrepair or declared a nuisance. The property is presented to the 10-member council to authorize demolition if the owner doesn’t improve the property.
Wanting reflectors
It’s been more than five months since Ridgewood Estates residents returned home on Feb. 22 and found a thick sheet of concrete almost blocking the entire intersection at Macon and Jenkins Road in Upatoi. The Georgia Department of Transportation said the R-Cut is aimed at reducing crashes at the intersection and making the roads safer.
Under the new construction design, motorists are prevented from driving across the intersection from any direction on the roadway. It allows left turns onto Jenkins for eastbound traffic and left turns onto the road for westbound traffic.
You can go westbound on Macon Road from the north side of Jenkins. Drivers who live on the south side of Jenkins and need to go west now must go east a few hundred feet first and use a turn around before traveling west.
At least two residents have inquired about some type of reflectors on the concrete to keep drivers from jumping the concrete island to cross the blocked intersection.
Kimberly Larson, the communications officer with the Georgia Department of Transportation in Thomaston, said it’s standard procedure to install some reflectors between the stripe and the face of the island in R-Cuts. She didn’t know if this location has reflectors but will check on them.
As a resident in the area, I have noticed improved lighting in the intersection but no visible reflectors. I also checked for reported accidents with motorists running across the concrete island but police found none. If someone went through the intersection, it appears no police report was filed.
Let’s hope reflectors will solve the latest problems for motorist at this crossing.
If you’ve seen something that needs attention, give me a call at 706-571-8576.
This story was originally published July 23, 2018 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Dozen rundown homes facing wrecking ball; questions still linger at Macon Road crossing."