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May 11, 2009

Roundabout seen as 'best option' for busy intersection

Jamie Jones

A roundabout could be in the future for drivers navigating the busy Dalton intersection of College Drive and Dug Gap Mountain Road.

The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners on Monday voted 4-0 to approve a $129,008 design contract with Dalton-based American Consulting Professionals. But first, the design must be approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation commissioner.

Commission chairman Mike Babb described the intersection as “terrible.” It’s within a few yards of the I-75 on-ramp/off-ramp and handles traffic from Dalton State College, the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center and several motels and restaurants. Traffic backs up considerably on College Drive while DSC is in session and on Dug Gap Mountain Road and Walnut Avenue during trade center events.

“The best option that we saw is a roundabout,” Babb said.

Whitfield County officials listed the intersection for improvements to be funded by the special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) approved by voters in 2007. The county originally planned to move the intersection west, away from the I-75 off-ramp, and have it line up with West Bridge Road, which leads to the Red Lobster.

County engineer Kent Benson said both GDOT and local engineers believe the intersection is too close to the I-75 off-ramp to put a traffic signal there. Moving the intersection would cost about $2.5 million, while a roundabout would be about $1 million, he said. Benson said work on the intersection has been delayed because it is on federal property in the I-75 right of way.

The design contract will be in two phases. The first will cost $33,331 and will produce the preliminary design for approval by the GDOT commissioner. The interim commissioner is Gerald Ross. If the first phase is approved, the second phase would cost $95,677. Benson said an additional environmental study would cost about $40,000, but said the need for that study is “very doubtful.”

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