If DeKalb County voters approve the SPLOST in November, Decatur has already decided to use a chunk of that money, anywhere from $3 million to $5 million, on rebuilding a longtime troublesome intersection.
The complex junction in west Decatur includes four streets (College Avenue, Howard Avenue, Atlanta Avenue and Olympic Place), four traffic lights and a railroad crossing that intimidates most pedestrians and bicyclists.
The long-term plan, according to Assistant City Manager David Junger, is to tighten the intersection’s footprint by building a conventional H-style grid, with a single, four-lane crossing connecting parallel streets Howard and College on either side of the tracks.
Also, flatter, smoother-grade sidewalks will be built on the east and west side of the crossing.
The project is likely three to five years down the road. It would require collaboration between the city, CSX and the Georgia Department of Transportation (College Avenue is a state road).
This would be the city’s last major transportation project for awhile, with the McDonough Road streetscapes and two railroad crossings improvements scheduled for later this summer.
