GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — An overhaul of Highway 316 is already in the works and now the Georgia Department of Transportation wants to hear from drivers about additional changes to address congestion and safety.
More than two dozen projects have been approved and are in the works along 316 through Gwinnett, Barrow, and Oconee County. An overhaul of 316 and Harbins Road in Gwinnett County is one of three projects that are already complete. Several others are under construction while some are set to begin in the coming months.
At Gwinnett Performance Automotive, Vince Corry has seen the changes around Highway 316 in Lawrenceville.
“Business expansion, housing expansion, major car jams,” said Corry. “We’re overgrowing our area compared to our roads.”
GDOT will hold two public hearings to discuss additional changes to address issues along 316. The first is Wednesday night at 4:30 at the City of Dacula Park Activity Building. The second is on April 23 at the City of Statham Community Center. Ideas include rerouting traffic at some intersections while building bridges over or under others.
“It’s not a one size fits all answer to every interchange within 316 or every area that might have an increase of crashes,” said GDOT’s Natalie Dale.
According to GDOT, improvements are needed beyond the projects that have already been approved. 65% of 316 has a crash rate higher than the state average. Most of them are the type of crashes that take place in heavy traffic.
Vince Corry is prepared to see construction equipment and orange barrels near his work for the foreseeable future.
“Lot of cars, so, it’s going to be very interesting,” said Corry.
An interesting time for a highway that has seen so much change with much more to come.