State explains Route 30 changes

Officials, residents question parts of plan

By RODNEY MINOR, The Leader-Herald
MAYFIELD — Supervisor Herb McLain said he likes the safety improvements the state Department of Transportation is planning for Route 30.

He’s just not crazy about the sidewalks that will come with the project.

More than 60 people gathered in the high school auditorium Thursday for the latest in a series of public information meetings conducted by the DOT on its Route 30 project.

The actual work of the project mostly will be contained on Route 30 and involves three main pieces, DOT Regional Design Engineer Stephen J. Zywiak said. The Route 30 bridge over Kennyetto Creek will be replaced, a two-lane roundabout will be installed at the intersection of Routes 30 and 29, and a left-turn lane and signal will be added for drivers trying to stay on Route 30 instead of continuing onto County Route 155.

Part of the project also will involve the creation of a sidewalk on both sides of Route 30. On the east side of the street, it would run the length of the project and onto County Highway 155. On the other side of the street, it would start at the Dairy Freeze before ending at the intersection of County Highway 155.

That’s a problem for McLain, who is concerned about the added expense the town could incur if it has to maintain a sidewalk.

The town may have to spend money to keep the sidewalk regularly maintained, in addition to keeping it cleared of snow and ice during the winter. If the town does not do that, it could be a legal matter, because the liability for the sidewalks will belong to the town, not to the state, McLain said.

“[DOT is] worried about people walking, but there are almost as many businesses as homes in that area,” McLain said.

Zywiak said the sidewalks were added to the project based on surveys done by DOT, showing enough pedestrians to justify them. He specifically cited the area near the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Visitor Center as generating foot traffic.

The size of the project will require the DOT to exercise its right to claim land by eminent domain.

Richard Szeles, real estate specialist for the DOT, said about 20 properties will be acquired because of the project. They will be mostly small acquisitions, he said, about 10 feet of land per property.

“[Most] will be nothing big, like an acre,” he said.

Only one property, an old gas station north of the Kennyetto Creek bridge, will involve a building that has to be razed, he said.

Donald Embree, owner of Embree’s Wine & Spirits, said if the DOT maps are correct, it will chop the septic tank at his business in half. He said that could be a problem.

Embree, whose business is at the corner of Route 30 and County Highway 155, said the DOT’s plan to widen the road to accommodate a left-turn lane is the least of his concerns.

When the Kennyetto bridge is replaced, it will be constructed in two stages. Alternating one-way traffic will be maintained on the bridge through the use of temporary traffic signals, according to the DOT.

With construction scheduled to start on the project from March 2010 through November 2010, that one-lane bridge could cost him business during the most important time of the year, Embree said.

“Once they [go to a one-lane bridge], a large percentage of my customers will go somewhere else,” he said.

DOT officials said because the road is being expanded, they will look into keeping two lanes open on the bridge.

Potential foot traffic near the proposed roundabout was a concern raised by a few people at the meeting.

According to DOT information, a roundabout is a circular intersection designed to slow traffic while lowering delays. Roundabouts are built so drivers must slow down when approaching them, and no traffic signal means less “stop-and-go” driving.

Richard Schell, DOT’s roundabout specialist, said pedestrians can easily cross the 14 feet of road, which has one-way traffic in and out of the roundabout, to reach the center island. From there, walkers cross another one-way lane of traffic to get across the road, he said.

Drivers, whether entering or exiting a roundabout, are also supposed to yield for pedestrians, Schell said.

The estimated project construction cost is $5.1 million, according to information from the DOT.