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DEL.ICIO.USWhat’s your take on U.S. 78?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Few have a better view of U.S. 78 construction right now than Eunice Spence. Not only does her business, Spence Monument Co., sit beside the current work zone, her home does as well.
But Mrs. Spence, who moved to property fronting U.S. 78 on June 9, 1940, with her late husband Herbert, tries not to pay much attention to the goings on.
“People seem to think it would be hard to live on 78,” she said. “I don’t hardly notice it, I guess because I’ve lived here so long; I’m used to it.”
U.S. 78 was only two lanes when Mrs. Spence moved to the residence (just west of what is now the Stone Mountain Quick Trip), and it had been a paved road for only two years. Repeated road widening since then has brought the multi-lane highway to a cozy distance from her doorstep.
Mrs. Spence doesn’t have major complaints about the current work. It causes some inconvenience, but Georgia Department of Transportation employees and construction workers have been good about notifying her of changes and seeing to her needs, she said.
And she’s glad for anything that will take away the reversible lane system on the highway.
“This suicide lane should have never been put in,” she said.
Construction on the first phase of the $31 million project began about one month ago, as workers took out the reversible lane from East Park Place to Stone Drive and began tearing up the old road, making drainage improvements and creating new curbs and gutters.
The work left three westbound lanes and two eastbound lanes open, except at night, when eastbound traffic is funneled into one lane. (This week, workers started closing a westbound lane also to begin work on that side of the highway.)
The improvement project, which is being conducted in phases but will eventually extend to Ga. 124 in Snellville, will make the road three lanes on each side and provide a median, sidewalks and landscaping.
All construction work is being done between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. to minimize problems for commuters. You can view an interactive map of the highway.
I visited the site one recent night, as backhoes, Bobcats and dump trucks performed under bright lights. Workers were busy moving dirt, breaking up pavement and building curb forms as a still heavy parade of cars made its way through orange and white striped barrels. Check out photos.
“Everyone knows there is no good time to work on roads in Gwinnett,” said Teri Pope, DOT communications officer for Northeast Georgia. By working at night and breaking the 6.6-mile project into four phases, officials are trying to lessen the negative impact.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be any, however.
“U.S. 78 really is the spine of south Gwinnett County,” said Pope, who — as a former resident of Snellville — knows. “You have to get on it to go just about anywhere.”
So, there are backups and delays as evening eastbound traffic merges into fewer lanes. Some motorists have started using I-20 east as an alternate route home. Others exit U.S. 78 at Hugh Howell Road and get onto Five Forks Trickum (by way of Lilburn-Stone Mountain Road and Old Stone Mountain Road) for the rest of their trip. A few drivers have begun to cut through the parking lot of the Sam’s Mart Shell station at U.S. 78 and East Park Place to get to Annistown Road.
“I think it’s dangerous because some customers are finishing filling up and then someone else comes in and cuts through very fast,” said Jacob Tadros who works the cash register from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. “Till now, nothing has happened, but I worry someone could get hurt.”
Pope said she has received relatively few complaints on the work. Businesses naturally are eager for it to be finished. And she received calls when the DOT changed the traffic lights to give U.S. 78 traffic more time during each sequence.
“The side streets are penalized” to improve the highway flow, Pope said. “But this is just through construction.” Once work is over, the traffic signal timing will be readjusted, she said.
Brett Harrell, director of the Evermore Community Improvement District, which includes businesses along the affected area, said he is generally pleased with how things are progressing and also has received few complaints.
The people who seem to have the most trouble are ones who travel home after the traditional 4-6 p.m. rush hour and hit the area when work is beginning, he said.
“But we are getting good cooperation,” Harrell said. “People have been hearing about it so long and they are so tired of these reversible lanes … I think most people are accepting of it.”
How do you think the project is going? Have you changed your commuting patterns because of it?
Permalink | Comments (29) | Post your comment | Categories: Susan Gast
Comments
By Nikki
March 20, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this
I for one am glad the reversible lanes are going away. There are so many people who don’t seem to realize that both of those yellow lanes are NOT turn lanes. I’ve had several near-misses because people suddenly slow down in the left lane to make a left turn, or people who get into the lane from the other direction, thinking it’s a turn lane. People can’t seem to read the signs above the lanes, and therefore endanger others.
By LB
March 20, 2008 8:37 AM | Link to this
The stop light at the Quik Trip needs adjusting while the construction is occurring. In other words, even though this is a State transportation project, Gwinnett County transportation has a role to play! DUH!!!
By Crazy R. Simpson
March 20, 2008 8:38 AM | Link to this
It’s going great….if a few years we will be the pawn shop, title buck, used car lot capital of the world……………………….
By Rosie
March 20, 2008 9:07 AM | Link to this
I wonder why this project was not started first from hwy 124 and worked it’s way back to the freeway.
By Mark
March 20, 2008 9:16 AM | Link to this
The reversible lane system works well in other cities in the USA, and in parts of Europe, but not in GA. Hmmmm, I wonder why…..
By Sully
March 20, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this
I’m up for starting a mini-golf night at Rain Forest Mini Golf. Who’s in? For all us commuters heading out 78 East after 6:00, we could meet up, have some cotton candy and some hot dogs and play some put-put! It would be fun! I’m thinking Thursday nights at 7!
By Danyelle
March 20, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
I live off of Stone Drive, so I come into contact with this construction daily. However, I think that if people would use good judgement (not their cell phones) and the driving skills they SHOULD have learned, this would be a smoother process. But then again, I’m only one driver.
By RaisinBran
March 20, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this
If the Gwinnett County Police would go solve some crimes instead of pulling everyone off the road at 78 & East Park Place for their “cash cow” safety checks, the commute might be a little better.
They have been out there on every sunny day since they started construction out there. And during the busy time for rush hour on top of that. Go figure.
By Lex Luthor
March 20, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this
The problem with reversible is that they are a stop-gap appoach to solving a problem. A road with two lanes going in the same direction has two goals: 1) allow more traffic 2) give some fail over, if a lane is blocked there is another. (Anyone who has driven 78 where it is two lanes knows how much of a PITA 45mph Sunday drivers can be)
The reversible lane answers problem 1 to some degree but exagerates problem 2 for the direction that does not have the arrow. Ultimately though problem 1 will come back. At this point the reversible lane becomes more of a burden to the area than a fix.
Roads need to be planned 10 years out. For that reason, short term solutions fail.
By Michael
March 20, 2008 3:53 PM | Link to this
This serves everybody right who voted against MARTA and who isn’t for the Brain Train. Would that all completely alleviate the US 78 traffic? No. Would it help? Absolutely.
Unless everybody in the area wants to spend billions expanding US 78 to 5 lanes each direction, get on the mass transit bandwagon.
And to the person complaining about the speeders caught at E. Park Place, maybe you should slow down? There are big “45 mph” speed limit signs and people still barrel through the traffic light by BK and Hardee’s at 70+mph.
By atlantagirl
March 20, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this
I think it’s going pretty well, if the idiots who rush up to the light at East Park Place would figure out ahead of time that they need to pay attention to the signs and merge before they get there - we’d all get through a little faster. I take the bus downtown now and it takes no longer than it would if I drive - saves me $$ and I have zero stress.
If more would do the same - we’d have less cars - less stress - less demand for gas — follow the logic? Why is it that Atlantans won’t give up their cars no matter what???
By d
March 20, 2008 11:28 PM | Link to this
I’m worried there’s gonna be more wrecks from impatient people trying to make U-turns with the new median than there ever was with the reversable lane. Does anyone have any statistics of how many wrecks there actually were in the years the lanes were there? Unfortunately with how rude and impatient drivers are in this area, I fear the medians will cause more problems than they hope to solve.
By PoliticalMan
March 21, 2008 8:05 AM | Link to this
At one time, Gwinnett Co seemed to have a handle on upgrading roads, if not ahead of time, at least not too far in arears. For example, widening Indian Trl, Beaver Ruin, Hwy 29, Hwy 124, Jimmy Carter, even US 78, was reasonably timely.
But then the foot dragging started, coupled with issuing building permits for thousands of houses. Now we have a mess. We are choking. The fact that Hwy 20 wasn’t widened ten yrs ago is, in my opionion, borderline criminal. The Sugarloaf construction lagged. Now the eminent Gwinnett traffic dept is absolutely incapable of coming up with an intelligent signalization plan for Sugarloaf. If the pace on widening 120 west of Lawrenceville is any indication, the upgrade to 78 will take yrs, while housing and traffic increases. We are now building schools on every unused large plot of land in the county. Is this nonsense ever going to stop? The GD developers could care less if they choke us.
By Cindy
March 21, 2008 8:12 AM | Link to this
I don’t know about that D. I distinctly remember expressing the same exact opinion as yours when Rockdale County was installing medians on Hwy 138.
Now that I look back on it, it was more unsafe with the turning lane. The driver-skill level seems about the same but now it’s just not possible to turn around without having the green turn arrow…impossible because if you don’t have the turn-light, there’s a wall of cars in the way. haha. But somehow when it’s your turn, there’s actually a gap, so it all works out pretty well.
In different blogs, I sometimes compare Rockdale and Gwinnett Counties to each other. That’s because I lived in Rockdale for about 4 years, then moved to Gwinnett for about 4 years, then right back to Rockdale for 2 years and now since the end of January…right back in Gwinnett.
Just can’t make up my mind, I guess. But believe you me, Gwinnett traffic moves better…I think it’s the traffic lights’ timing.
I used to be indecisive but now I’m not sure. :)
By Mark
March 21, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this
Thanks to all of you illiterate meatheads who just can’t seem to figure out the simplicity of the reversible lane system. “Ya’ll” uneducated morons are the reason 78 will be a mess for a few years.
By Laura
March 21, 2008 2:14 PM | Link to this
Hey Mark, simmer down.
I’m happy to get rid of the suicide lanes. 124 has a median and it flows perfectly fine. But between now and 2009, I’m taking back roads to avoid 78 at all costs.
By Mary Purcell
March 22, 2008 9:27 PM | Link to this
I work in Decatur and now go N. Decatur to Memorial and cross Memorial to Rockbridge and end up turning left on Annistown/Rockbridge. I live in the condos on Rockbridge on the left. I could not stand the slow traffic on 78 at W. Park Pl. Atleast they have police ticketing people that block the intersection at W. Park Pl and 78. It’s a pain, but well needed.
By Mary Purcell
March 22, 2008 9:27 PM | Link to this
I work in Decatur and now go N. Decatur to Memorial and cross Memorial to Rockbridge and end up turning left on Annistown/Rockbridge. I live in the condos on Rockbridge on the left. I could not stand the slow traffic on 78 at W. Park Pl. Atleast they have police ticketing people that block the intersection at W. Park Pl and 78. It’s a pain, but well needed.
By Mary Purcell
March 22, 2008 9:28 PM | Link to this
I work in Decatur and now go N. Decatur to Memorial and cross Memorial to Rockbridge and end up turning left on Annistown/Rockbridge. I live in the condos on Rockbridge on the left. I could not stand the slow traffic on 78 at W. Park Pl. Atleast they have police ticketing people that block the intersection at W. Park Pl and 78. It’s a pain, but well needed.
By Mark
March 23, 2008 2:14 PM | Link to this
Mary
Do you stutter as well?
By RB from Gwinnett
March 25, 2008 11:43 AM | Link to this
A few years ago, I heard reported that Hwy 78 WITH it’s reversible lane system had no more accidents than any other road with the same volume of traffic. Yes, there are some, and yes, I get annoyed by people who stop in the travel lane to turn, but for the most part, traffic on 78 flows pretty darn well WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE SET UP RIGHT. This project is a waste of money. If they wanted to do something useful, they would have been better off putting a marta rail line down the middle and providing a real solution vs. this one that doesn’t add more travel lanes in either directing during rush hour. Think about it. The 3 lanes you have now aren’t enough. When they’re done, you’ll still only have 3 lanes. Not smart.
By jrh
March 25, 2008 11:56 AM | Link to this
US Highway 78 will never improve until aggressive measures are taken. Simply creating a medium and removing the the reversible lane system will only cause further deterioration of the surrounding area. A more responsible solution would include either, elevating highway 78 from Stone Mountain to Loganville, while maintaining ground level roadways for local traffic or implementing an elevated commuter rail system. Short of this type of progressive thinking 78 will be no better than Memorial Drive in roughly 5 years.
By martha
March 25, 2008 12:26 PM | Link to this
i avoid it at all costs
By slojoe
March 25, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this
Hwy 78 has always been the most heavily traveled road around. Gwinnett County has expanded so rapidly in this area, they did not keep up with the growth. Now they are making everyone’s life a living nightmare for the next 2 years. If I had any sense I would sell out and move to Oconee county, maybe they could keep up with the growth.
By t.dekkers
March 25, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this
the biggest problem is how fast u guys are going, running red lights, etc. i live off ross road, and nobody is doing 40, but 60 or more instead. And if u see dekalb or gwinnett police cars they go even faster, they sure do not obey the speed limit either, slow down, u get home a little later but safer.
By Sully
March 26, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this
US 78 will be better off once we get Sunday alcohol sales and Sunday liquor by-the-drink in the counties and areas that don’t have it.
By Greg Rodgers
March 26, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
Reversable lanes are the worst. I see more head on near misses an accidents in these things. I used to live in another major city. We do not have these lanes. We have median strips. They seem to work just fine.
The problem with these lanes: You can not expect millions to think the same way. Its impossible. Therefore, taking the guesswork away from people will solve the problem.
Glad these are going away.
By Deb
April 5, 2008 11:39 PM | Link to this
… will be like Memorial Drive in 5 years. Will be? Can you tell me how it differs from Memorial Drive RIGHT NOW?
By towhead
June 1, 2008 6:55 AM | Link to this
I think the reversible lane removal is a good decision. I’ve seen plenty of cars waiting to turn from the wrong lane and with the growth that has taken place, there has been a need for three permanent lanes for each direction for a long time. But the way the DOT is going about it so far seems numbskullish to me—removing the reversible lane first before installing the third eastbound lane, thereby creating the current traffic problem from East Park Place to Stone Dr. in the afternoons. Also, why they are paving and striping down the middle before putting in the median, I do not know.