Oconee County Expects Upgrade To Hog Mountain Road And U.S. 441 Intersection To Be Completed By End Of Month

Waiting On GDOT

The county is expecting that the improvements to the intersection of the Hog Mountain Road and U.S. 441, now underway, will be completed by the end of the month, according to Emil Beshara, county Public Works director.

The roadwork will produce two left-turn lanes from Hog Mountain Road to U.S. 441 and a turn lane into the RaceTrac station for traffic heading west on Hog Mountain Road from U.S. 441. RaceTrac is on the southwest corner of the intersection.

The existing right-turn lane from Hog Mountain Road to U.S. 441 will be extended back to the RaceTrac entrance, according to site plans approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Much of the preliminary work undertaken by the county is now complete, and the county is waiting on the contractors from GDOT to do the paving, according to Beshara.

Extent Of Work

The Hog Mountain Road improvements will extend back nearly to Wellbrook Road as the new roadway tapers back to the existing two-lane configuration. (See map at bottom or download the map from here.)

The stub of old U.S. 441 will be reconfigured, according to the site plans, resulting in an intersection of that roadway opposite the entrance to RaceTrac.

Roadwork Underway 9/2/2015

The state is providing funding for the bulk of the work on the intersection improvement.

Beshara said back in March that he had expected work on the project to begin in May.

Presbyterian Homes Rezone

Congestion in the Hog Mountain Road and U.S. 441 intersection as well as in the intersection of Wellbrook Road and Hog Mountain Road was one of the arguments used by opponents of the plans by Presbyterian Homes of Georgia to build a continuing care retirement community in the county.

That project is planned for 70 acres behind the intersection of Hog Mountain Road and U.S. 441.

The project is to have entrances and exits both on U.S. 441 and on Wellbrook Road.

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners approved the rezone needed by Presbyterian Homes for the CCRC on May 5 despite outspoken opposition from many residents, particularly those using Wellbrook Road.

Brad Callender, Oconee County planner, told me on Friday that Prebyterian Homes has not filed any additional paperwork to move forward with the project since the rezone.

Oconee County tax records still list the two properties involved in the rezone as being in the hands of the original owners, rather than Presbyterian Homes of Georgia.

Click To Enlarge