Beaver Run will look like no other corridor in Muscogee County with changes, DOT says

A 1.5-mile stretch along Beaver Run Road, U.S. 80 and the route also known as Ga. 22 will look like no other corridor in Muscogee County when the Georgia Department of Transportation completes new designs to make the road safer.

Days after the DOT announced plans to construct Reduced Conflict U-Turn, or RCUT, at the intersections of Mallard Drive/Wynfield Way and Beaver Trail/Woodbriar Lane, engineers analyzed the Psalmond Road intersection last week and said a third RCUT is planned along the corridor. Officials faced growing concerns from Midland residents about RCUTs, forcing traffic to Psalmond Road to make a U-Turn to travel westbound.

In a release, the DOT said plans are in development at the Psalmond Road intersection and engineers expect construction to start in the first quarter of 2019. Work is under way for designs at Mallard Drive/Wynfield Way and Beaver Trail/Woodbriar Lane.

A traffic study was conducted from Ga. 85, east to the Talbot County on U.S. 80, in 2016 to examine the traffic conditions on the roadway. With many neighborhoods scattered along the roadway, the study identified intersections that would benefit from traffic operations construction projects. RCUTs were identified for projects based on crash rates along the intersections.

Crash data collected from 2011-2015 showed the highest angle crash rates were found at Jenkins Road with a fatality, four crashes at Beaver Trail/Woodbriar Lane and eight crashes at Mallard/Wynfield. All crashes would be reduced with the new designs.

Residents pushed for a traffic light at the Psalmond Road intersection but one wasn’t warranted based on the crash history, the DOT said. Over a five-year period, Psalmond Road recorded one crash.

Using an island of concrete, an RCUT reduces intersection crashes by restricting dangerous immediate left turns and straight-through driving where motorists must navigate through intersections. The design is used where traffic is moving at a high rate of speed in both directions.

The first RCUT was constructed at Jenkins Road in February. Nationwide, crashes with injuries have declined by 42 percent at highway intersections with the new design and fatalities decreased overall by 70 overall.

Roundabouts are planned at two intersections at Ga. 22 Spur/ Macon Road and at Lynch Road.

During the process to make the changes, DOT engineers were in contact with city officials and proceeded with input of their engineers and officials. An official has said the design doesn’t require a public hearing because of the low cost and the design is aimed at saving lives.

When all the construction is complete, the stretch between Lynch Road west to Flat Rock Road will include two roundabouts, three RCUTs, a U-Turn just east of Psalmond Road and another west of Mallard Drive. About 6 miles east of Lynch Road is RCUT No. 4 within an 8-mile span on U.S. 80 or Macon Road.

“With the implementation and installation of cutting-edge traffic flow methods like roundabouts and RCUTs, our engineers and crews in west central Georgia are duty bound to ensure that motorists can drive in their cities and neighborhoods knowing that their personal safety and convenience was prioritized in the design of their roadways,” the DOT said.

With all the roundabouts and RCUTs on that stretch of road, I wonder about the posted speed limit. It’s 45 mph near Psalmond Road going west but traffic is flying at 55 to 60 mph. I want to see them do that speed in one roundabout, not two.

If you’ve have seen something that needs attention, give me a call at 706-571-8576.

This story was originally published October 29, 2018 at 12:00 AM.