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DEL.ICIO.USGoodbye four-way stop
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The colorful little flags beside North Road in Snellville mark more than the location of utilities. They are signs of further change for the mostly residential corridor that has been overtaken by heavy, cut-through traffic.
Gwinnett County Department of Transportation is preparing to replace the legendary four-way stop at North Road and Pinehurst Road with a traffic light. (Is that cheering I hear?) Left turn lanes will be added to all approaches, and — depending on what research shows - right turn lanes may also be provided.
Right now, consultants are studying the area and collecting data. Construction will occur in 2009, probably in spring or summer, said Alan Chapman, deputy director of Gwinnett Department of Transportation.
Traffic counts taken in 2006 and 2007 show that 14,000 vehicles passed through the four-way stop daily, said Chapman, who manages the DOT’s capital program. He suspects the numbers are higher now.
“That’s a lot of cars for an intersection with a four-way stop,” Chapman said. He said a traffic signal may be needed whenever you get above 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles.
Motorists who travel North or Pinehurst know what he’s talking about. Backups are common at the intersection, particularly in afternoon rush hours when vehicles pour off of Ronald Reagan Parkway onto two-lane Pinehurst. Pinehurst not only connects with North Road in Snellville, but also serves as a route to the Grayson area.
Almost $1.5 million in Special Local Option Sales Tax funds has been set aside for the project, Chapman said.
North Road, which parallels U.S. 124 (Scenic Highway), has long been used by drivers trying to avoid the congestion of the main highway. That traffic and the continued commercialization of Scenic Highway caused some North Road homeowners to ask the city a year ago to change the corridor’s zoning from residential to commercial so they can sell their property for a reasonable price.
Snellville City Planner Jason Thompson said city officials are still considering what North Road’s future should be as they work out Snellville’s comprehensive plan and look at the possibility of special designations for the area.
Regardless of what is decided, that future will include at least one more traffic light. There are no funded plans to replace the remaining four-way stops on North Road with signals, Chapman said.
Just how much relief the new signal will provide is difficult to say until the traffic study is complete, Chapman said. But generally signals can bring service that is graded as a “D” or “C” up to an “A” or “B,” he said.
What do you think? Do you prefer traffic signals to four-way stops? What other intersections would you like to see changed?
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment | Categories: Susan Gast
Comments
By Thomas H. Fort
April 25, 2008 8:24 AM | Link to this
North should not have been kept as a long thru street after Scenic Hwy was built paralleling it. It should have been made local-only off Ridgedale, Pharrs, Pinehurst, Dogwood and Wisteria. We would not have the mess we have now. The North-Ridgedale-Pharrs triangle is an abomination.
By Rick Rantamaki
April 25, 2008 8:37 AM | Link to this
It’s funny how the DOT must conduct an exhaustive “study” before introducing an obvious solution. Oh, the logjams an empty coffee pot must create in their break room.
By Tim
April 25, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
A Round-A-Bout at Pinehurst and North Road would be perfect. In fact, if no traffic light is considered necessary at some of these 4 way stops, Round-A-Bouts would solve a lot of problems. Of course, it would probably cause some problems until the 70 IQ’ers figured it out, but they should get it after a hundred or so tries. Double Lane Round-A-Bouts. Think about it.
By One Man's View
April 25, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
In this particular case, the main fact being that Ronald Reagan dumps cars into this intersection, a traffic signal is probably necessary and should help.
There are actually several intersections in the area where wait times are obnoxious: North & Pharrs, Pharrs & Ridgedale, and North & Ridgedale. As the writer said - the triangle.
Round-a-bouts are interesting. They do take considerable space, however. Space that probably does not exist at the intersections noted. And they do require competent drivers.
It appears that Rosebud and Ozora is getting a traffic signal - about 5 yrs too late. Hwy84 and Rosebud desparately needs a turn lane heading north on Rosebud. No, I won’t hold my breath for that to happen.
By Kate
April 25, 2008 12:36 PM | Link to this
Finally!!! How about a signal at Cooper and Rosebud?
By BobG
April 25, 2008 4:20 PM | Link to this
It’s all the council and Emmett Clower’s fault.
By D
April 25, 2008 7:01 PM | Link to this
And how bout a left-turn signal from Pinehurst onto 124 South????
By BobG
April 25, 2008 9:27 PM | Link to this
The post at 4:20pm was an obvious attempt to impersonate me. So childish. And while Emmett Clower did more harm to the city than its residents will ever know, it is unfortunate for him that insensitive louts continue to draw attention to his ineptitude.
Back on topic— before it is too late, the city and the county should collaborate on a limited access extension of Ronald Reagan Pkwy to Hwy. 78 east of the city.
The Real BobG!
By Gerald Nidy
April 26, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
Really? This was a NO BRAINER years ago when I first contacted Gwinnett County, Snellville and State DOT. Of course in typical political fashion, no one was responsible, it was always the other entities fault. A stop light? Are they going to time it to allow just enough cars to stretch from Scenic to North? That’s sure going to add a lot of cycles to the Scenic lights, but good luck I sold and moved out of that BS!
By B. Barnacle
April 26, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this
Don’t Waste Your Time A much better and less expensive solution would be to close the Intersection of Pinehurst and North Road completely! Just take out that intersection! This would split North Road from being a bypass for highway 124 and would stop Pinehurst from being used as Ronald Regan East!
If this is NOT done then expect that in the future ALL of North Road and ALL of Pinehurst will look just like 124 does now — a commercial hell.
By Fan of Days Gone By
April 27, 2008 7:15 AM | Link to this
I rather have Emmett Clower than the current mayor, any day!!!! Emmett is from Snellville, loves Snellville, and everything he did was to try and help Snellville!!! Back OFF!!!!!
If I were a wizard, I would Tweek all the Whiners back to where ever they came from!!!!! The nice ones, would get to stay!!!!!
So some of you better hope I never get the Three Wishes!!!!!!!
By Tom
April 27, 2008 10:11 AM | Link to this
I know there are better minds than mine studying this, but after reading the other posts, I had the idea that North-Ridgedale-Pharrs would be helped by making them a modified roundabout —a “triabout”?— — left turns in both lanes with no stops to stay on the ‘bout — right turns with no stops to get off — right turns with only a yield to get on. — southbound North Rd coming from behind Wal-mart, eastbound Pharrs from 124, and westbound Ridgedale from Pinehurst would have to stop to get on, but that still better than a 4-way.
Anyone considered that? Or is the whole concept of one-way streets in a residential area too confusing or too much trouble?
By Oiling the squeeking unhinged
April 27, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this
I’m afraid you cant have roundabouts in Atlanta. The people of this great city cannot handle the mental calculations nor the hand-eye coordination necessary to negotiate a round-about. Hell, Atlantan’s cant handle a cul-de-sac without a crash helmet or an orange cone… Look how ordered the lanes are on Spaghetti Junction, yet, most traffic comes to a standstill because of the jumble of lanes going pellmell through space. It’s like people think they’re merging into a kudzu or something. All I know is that Atlantans would crash into each other in a roundabout, and I, for one, wont stand for it no how.
By Mark
April 27, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this
Oiling the squeeking unhinged
Well said. The ignorant drivers are also the same ones who cant figure out the reversible lane system.
By Tom
April 27, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
Well, think of the Lawrenceville square, only a triangle and without the traffic lights.
OK, maybe bright GREEN arrows and RED flashing light in appropriate places.
Honestly, why is Snellville so gung-ho with 4-way stops? I go out of my way to Webb Gin and down Bennett to avoid Pharrs Rd. It’s been bad for 6 years and they are “still considering”.
By North Rd Resident
May 6, 2008 1:07 PM | Link to this
Some North Road residents do not want our road to be rezoned, we like the current zoning, maybe if the speed limits were enforced on North the cutthrough traffic would decrease. I have witnessed extreme speeds all hours of the day and night and it’s not only teens and young adults that are speeding.
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