The Augusta Chronicle soon will be reporting a fatal car crash in Columbia County. The date and time are unknown, but the location is predetermined. It will be at the intersection of International Parkway and Lewiston Road, near Interstate 20.
It's true that traffic fatalities are far too common, but this upcoming fatality could easily have been prevented. While the family grieves the death of their loved one, there will be plenty of blame to share. It will begin with the Roads and Bridges Department. They knew that construction of Grovetown High School and a new Walmart would significantly increase vehicle traffic through this intersection, but they did nothing. Even after numerous requests from drivers, they did nothing.
The danger is simple. You have a convergence of cars and trucks trying to get through a very busy intersection where the posted speed limit is 55 mph. You have inexperienced teenage drivers headed to the new high school. You have residents headed to work. You have gravel trucks headed to construction sites.
What you don't see are school buses because the Board of Education is well aware of the danger. Bus drivers are not allowed to turn from International Parkway onto Lewiston Road. Even so, the Board of Education will share responsibility for the upcoming traffic fatality. They should be putting more pressure on the Roads and Bridges Department to install a traffic light.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office also will be responsible. Why are they not ticketing more speeders on Lewiston Road? Although the posted speed limit of 55 mph is too high for this residential area, many drivers go 60-65 mph.
Ultimately, the blame will fall on the Columbia County commissioners. They also have ignored requests for installation of a traffic signal at the intersection.
After the upcoming traffic fatality, I'm sure that county officials will take another look at the problem, and eventually install a traffic signal. That seems to be the way our county works -- wait until someone dies before taking action.
Robert Davis
Grovetown
THANK YOU Mr. Davis! AMEN to this. We were the fifth house to build out in Sugarcreek and what was once the "boonies" with nothing is now becoming our nightmare once we leave our driveway. We have seen seven houses burn to the ground in the years here and gladly got a fire department at our entrance. Then they put in gigantic speed bumps and the fire engine can't even travel our neighborhood now w/o damage to such a heavy load on those large humps. Someone had a medical emergency where they had to drive their child in anaphylactic shock up to the station for help because the ambulance would not have been able to respond as quickly because of those humps. Then, you get to the entrance and you sit..... you sit..... you sit..... and I bet 50% of those turns to the left are a potential disaster but you either take that chance at getting hit or you..... sit..... ridiculous. I have an idea- pick up these crazy speed humps and put them along Lewiston Road! That will slow down the traffic, especially the hauling trucks, and we'll get a little break in the flow of traffic where we can get out!
An answer to the question of why are officers not ticketing speeders on Lewiston Road more is simple...You state that many drivers go 60-65 mph through that area, but according to state law Ga. annotated 40-14-8(a), no officer shall make any speed cases using detection devices unless said driver has exceeded the speed limit by 10 or more mph. This is a state law!! Until this code section is repealed, you will never see any type of enforcement UNLESS it is in a clearly marked school zone. then and only then can speed be enforced under 10 mph over the speed limit.
I travel that intersection everyday to work as well as drop my son off at school and PLEASE someone get that light planned and installed soon before a young life is killed. There is no way a teenager has the experience to deal with that road or that intersection. I cringe everytime I have to go to the left there instead of my usual route of to the right.
I was in an accident at this intersection about 12 days ago. It was awful and near fatal. Yes, one individual was speeding. My best freind had a near fatal accident near this intersection last year as well. I will be sending this article to my insurance as I feel there is more responsibility that lies beyond the hands of the drivers involved. I really hope that Columbia County gets their act together and installs a light immediately. If anyone knows how to attach a picture - I would love to show you all my totaled car and how it looked after entering this dangerous intersection.
Just a reminder; you are referencing a State Route. The responsibility lies within the Georgia Department of Transportation.
A traffic light at this intersection is highly overdue. No one has even mentioned the gas station/quasi truck stop traffic. Great LTE.
Not exactly true about it being a state route. International Parkway is a local road, not a state route. The Columbia County Traffic Engineering Department has responsibility - the same folks who are spending thousands of taxpayer dollars on poorly installed speed humps. It the county is to rely on speed humps, they should at least learn to install them properly and consistently. When the speed limit is 25 mph, and and the speed hump sign says slow down to 20 mph, and you have to slow down to 10 mph to avoid damaging your car, that is a poorly designed and installed speed hump.
I've observed traffic speed is most affected by those solar powered unattended speed devices... don't most folks slow when faced with a digital readout of evidence? Put those in place of the speed humps. Speed humps are an experiment which has failed. Impeding the access of emergency vehicles is enough of a downside to warrant removal.
My best friend that commented here, DH, was almost killed in that intersection after taking a wrong turn onto International then trying to turn back onto Lewiston to get to my house. I was in an accident a year ago almost to the day right near there as well.
I live here and that intersection scares me, she was coming from Atlanta and in the rain at 6pm on a Friday night that intersection is awful. I have almost been hit by people in the morning, in complete daylight turning out of there and at night, there is not even a streetlight nearby. With all the growth in that area, it is insane that a light has not yet been put up there, are they waiting for someone to die? As it is, a 4 car crash on a rainy Friday night should have been another warning to the county.
The whole area right there, from the bridge to the Wal_Mart entrance, to the intersection at International is poorly designed and dangerous. Does there need to be a bike lane also? I could have designed a safer route for drivers.
There needs to be a light there. Immediately. If my friend had been 6 inches further into the intersection she would have been killed and I could never have lived with myself. I would hate for someone to die because this county, Georgia DOT, or whoever makes the decision is too stupid or cheap to put a light there.
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