GWINNETT

Dacula

Gwinnett approves interchange on S.R. 316 at Harbins Road

Gwinnett commissioners recently awarded a $30 million contract to build a grade-separated interchange on State Route 316 at Harbins Road.

The project is about 3/4-mile-long and will include a five-lane bridge on Harbins Road over S.R. 316. The new bridge will have dual westbound left-turn lanes, a single eastbound turn lane, and through lanes. The new interchange will include ramps east and westbound as well as an access road to Sugarloaf Parkway. The project also includes an upgraded traffic management system, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and retaining walls.

Funding is provided by the 2017 SPLOST program. The new bridge and intersection is expected to be open to traffic by late 2021.

KAREN HUPPERTZ FOR THE AJC

COUNTYWIDE

Outdoor burn ban now in place throughout Gwinnett

The Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services is reminding residents that a ban on outdoor open burning is in place annually from May 1 through Sept. 30.

The ban prohibits the burning of yard and land clearing debris, including the use of air curtain destructors for land clearing.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division imposes restrictions on outdoor open burning to comply with Federal Clean Air Regulations. During the summer months in Georgia, the ozone in the air we breathe can reach unhealthy levels. The EPD has identified outdoor open burning as a significant contributor of the pollutants that form ozone.

Permits are required for fires for agricultural practices in areas zoned residential, for a Forestry Service prescribed burn, for all bonfires sponsored by educational, civic, religious, or other groups for the purpose of celebration, and for fires for the purpose of training of firefighters.