Telling Grantville City Council members the intersection is “a hazard left for unsuspecting motorists,” Mayor Jim Sells asked that the city close Reese Street at U.S. 29 because of severely limited sight distance and other safety hazards.
“I’m worried about safety,” Sells said. “That’s a danger.”
At the council’s June 25 meeting, Sells contended accidents continue to occur at the intersection because motorists cannot see far enough to safely pull into oncoming traffic, making the turn onto U.S. 29 dangerous. Converging traffic cannot pass, he said, telling the council that a waste management truck recently ended up in a ditch because of the hazards. Sells asked council members to eliminate the intersection by closing Reese Street at U.S. 29, creating a cul-de-sac to block access.
When Sells relayed to the council that closure also had been requested by the owner of property on both sides of Reese Street, he was asked by council member Barham Lundy whether other citizens had been asked their opinions.
“No, we haven’t had the community vote on whether we should close this dangerous street,” Sells said. “We don’t ask opinions on safety issues. We protect the public.”
“The problem is, a lot of people use that street,” said council member Johnny Cooks, who suggested contacting the Georgia Department of Transportation about widening and/or installing guard rails.
According to Sells, the DOT has given over responsibility for the intersection to Grantville, with permission to “do what we need to do.”
“The problem is, it’s supposed to have a sight distance of 500 feet and we don’t have that in either direction,” City Manager Johnny Williams said. “If you made it 100 feet wide, we will still have the sight distance problem.
Cooks asked Williams to have Grantville’s Streets and Public Works Department look at alternative fixes.
“Shawn (Bennett, the newly hired department head) is of course a civil engineer, and he could really find anything we could do with it,” Williams replied. “What you’re asking me to do, I’ve already done.”
However, “We’ll take another look at it,” Williams said.
Council took no action on the matter.
