Latest news with #KyleCollins
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
GDOT says I-16 infrastructure improvements will not have impact on hurricane evacuations
The Georgia Department of Transportation announced in May, a $450 million plan to widen 32.5 miles of I-16 from two to three lanes both directions. The improvements will stretch from the I-95 interchange to State Route 67 near Denmark and will help alleviate traffic congestion along the corridor. The project will span four counties (Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham and Effingham). According to GDOT, construction is slated to begin in 2027. Kyle Collins of GDOT said funding was advanced in the fiscal year 2024 state general fund budget. GDOT's website shows $30 million has been budgeted for preliminary engineering. "Currently, these improvements would be almost all state DOT will take those funds as far as possible in this corridor," said Collins. More: Stephen Nottingham of FREN Foundation shares vision for interactive park for Richmond Hill The highway not only serves much of the state as the most direct access to Savannah and the Georgia coast, but is also a thoroughfare that motorists use when evacuating from hurricanes. It is also a key route for the state's freight network to the ports in Savannah and Brunswick. According to GDOT, existing traffic numbers currently range from 31,000 to 50,000 daily and is expected to rise to 52,000 to 99,000 under no build conditions. Collins said expected growth in the region prompted staff to prioritize the project but Eric Anderson, who lives on the north end of Bryan County, feels planning of the project should have begun years ago. More: What is being done to help prevent wrecks outside of the Hyundai plant in North Bryan? "My concerns are that when they started approving all the warehouses and the attempt for Volvo and then eventually Hyundai, that is when this should have been discussed," said Anderson. "They have approved and built too much too fast and they are now woefully unprepared and it is going to cause even more traffic issues because they waited until after the fact." Residents such as Cindy Schnur Harrison said construction fatigue has begun to set in. 'I realize I-16 needs to be widened to three lanes but for those of us who live along or near the Highway 280/I-16 area, we are so sick and tired of the construction, excessive traffic, traffic jams and accidents,' said Harrison. 'I can't imagine how the traffic will be if and when I-16 widening begins. The traffic problems won't just be in our area but will be on-going for miles and miles to months and years. I think we all would just like a break for a while.' Construction of the I-16 at Old Cuyler Road Interchange will begin the third quarter of this year and has a two-year timeline. However, Collins said that project should be wrapping up before widening of the I-16 corridor begins. More: Highway 21, Old River Road and Blue Jay Road listed in study for major road improvements 'Construction should be ramping down on the new Old Cuyler Interchange in the early months of 2027 as it is beginning on a potential I-16 reconstruction section on the I-95 end of the corridor,' said Collins. Harrison also expressed concern regarding the overpasses. Collins confirmed 20 bridges will be repaired simultaneously with the road improvements, meaning there will be traffic impacts. Collins said GDOT will mitigate traffic congestion stemming from the project with lane closure hours, among other things. Some residents expressed concern on social media about what impact the project would have if residents needed to leave due to a storm. In years past, evacuation orders have put thousands of motorists on I-16 and at some points, bringing it to a standstill. However, Collins said widening of the corridor will not impact the state's ability to implement its evacuation plans. More: Search warrant leads to arrest of woman with multiple drugs in Guyton 'Detailed coordination and planning ensures construction wouldn't impede the state's robust hurricane evacuation process if the need arose,' said Collins. That process includes contraflow on I-16 east and west bound lanes from Savannah to U.S. 441 in Dublin, totaling 125 miles. GDOT will also mobilize 300-500 employees to set up specialized equipment, a number of staff members will begin working 12-hour shifts and maintenance crews will be on hand to clear debris from roads. The online comment period will be open until June 26. Click the link here to submit questions and suggestions through the comment form. Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Residents raise concerns over GDOT's I-16 widening project
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
GDOT's new plans for I-95/I-16: what drivers can expect ahead
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — If you're heading out on I-95, or I-16 this morning… be prepared for some changes. After a weekend of traffic headaches, GDOT is responding to public feedback to help with your commute. If you've driven along these two highways in the Coastal Empire – traffic barrels and roadwork congestion is all too familiar. Especially this week. Part of the highway was reduced to one lane, and just hours after a third lane opened! With all the road changes… GDOT is making changes to help drivers have a smoother commute. Hundreds of drivers were stuck in hours-long traffic this past Saturday after GDOT's bridge maintenance work reduced I-95 southbound to just one lane. Now, GDOT is revising its schedule, hoping to minimize disruption while also striving to stay on their timeline for the project. GDOT is now working to avoid similar traffic backups – moving forward. While the bridge maintenance over the Ogeechee River is still underway, work is now moving to off-peak week, you'll notice closures on I-16 from the I-95 interchange to I-516, plus some double-lane closures on I-95 near the I-16 overpass at night from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. But here's the big update—a third lane opened on I-16 near the I-95 interchange. It's all part of a plan to ease the congestion for nearly 100,000 drivers every day. 'We're planning for growth, not just for today but for the next 20, 30, and 40 years. This especially with the impact of freight and commercial traffic that's only going to increase,' said Kyle Collins, a Communications Officer for GDOT. The project was originally mapped out in 2016 as part of GDOT's Major Mobility Investment Program. Part of the 11 megaprojects across the state designed to enhance mobility and safety, fuel economic growth, while also improving Georgian's quality of life by smoother travel times and trip reliability. Although the project officially began in 2020, GDOT expects to have it substantially finished by late summer or fall 2025. Collins says ideally late August, to early September. In the next few months, GDOT will be working on finalizing bridges, expanding lanes, and adding better lighting and real-time traffic alerts. Collins shares that it's also no secret just the growth of Savannah's residential and commercial areas need to be kept up with high quality roads. The impact that the ports, and Hyundai Plant, have had on the area for residents, resulting in higher traffic that is only anticipated to grow. In the past decade, the number of trucks coming through the ports have more than doubled. GDOT points out that the commerce and the billions of dollars that flows through the port of Savannah is not going away. In fact, the Port announced that they are now the fastest growing port on the east coast of the United States. GDOT's data displays projections for major freight and commercial traffic to double on top of the current number of vehicles and trucks in the next decade or twenty years. 'Because as goes a lot of things in Savannah and the growth that y'all are experiencing down there, that that has arteries that go all the way up to metro Atlanta, that has arteries that go to the southeast and really the U.S. as a whole when it comes to logistics and the supply chain,' explained Collins. 'So that's not lost on us and that's part of us being proactive to meet current and future needs.' Here is a brief summary of what GDOT is doing on I-16 and I-95 these next few months: GDOT to revise I-95/ I-16 work schedule after weekend traffic backups Goal: Minimize delays and shift work to off-peak hours Plan ahead – nearly 100,000 drivers use I-95 daily As GDOT works to improve the traffic flow, the new third lane on I-16 should help cut delays up to 30% by 2030. Looking ahead Collins shared GDOT plans on expanding more road in Bryan County, Chatham County, and Bulloch County. 'This is a 30-mile corridor that we're looking at. So essentially that's from the I-95 interchanges to state Route 67 and Bulloch County. That will be expanding those lanes in both directions,' detailed Collins. St. Patrick's Day holiday work restrictions will be in place from Friday, March 14, 2025, at noon to Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 6 a.m. No road closures or work that restricts or interferes with traffic will be conducted during this time frame. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
