Current Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) plans do not call for any closure or detours during construction of the grade-separated intersection of the Oconee Connector and SR 316.
Contractor Archer Western is to build two separate bridges at the intersection, one to carry the Oconee Connector over eastbound traffic on SR 316 and another to carry the Oconee Connector over the westbound lanes of SR 316.
The eastbound and westbound bridges will be shifted outward of the existing SR316 and Oconee Connector intersection, separating the two lanes by a larger median than will be present either east or west of the intersection.
There will be a temporary detour period for construction of the SR 316 interchange at Jimmy Daniell Road, and GDOT will hold a Public Detour Open House and comment period on those plans.
The Jimmy Daniell Road detour that will be presented at the Public Detour Open House will be different from the one presented at the Public Information Open House in November of 2023.
These announcements were made by Kyle Collins, GDOT Communications Program Manager, following the Public Information Open House held by GDOT on Sept. 25 at Prince Avenue Baptist Church, 3691 Monroe Highway (U.S. 78).
At that meeting, GDOT presented three large display boards showing details of the proposed right-in, right-out design for the intersection of SR 316 and McNutt Creek Road and for the closure of the intersection of SR 316 and Mars Hill Road.
Collins reported that 27 people attending that Open House during the 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. period.
Connector Interchange
At the Public Information Open House GDOT held in 2022 for the bundle of projects that includes the intersections of SR316 with Jimmy Daniell Road, Virgil Langford Road, and the Oconee Connector, GDOT said a 45-day detour for eastbound SR 316 traffic exiting to the Oconee Connector was possible.
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| New Design For Oconee Connector |
In November of 2024 GDOT awarded a $139.4 million design-build contact with Archer Western Construction LLC and Heath & Lineback Engineering Inc. for the three projects.
Collins said in an email on Friday that the design build team presented an Alternative Technical Concept (ATC) for the Oconee Connector interchange that GDOT has accepted.
“This removes the need for a detour affecting the Oconee Connector during construction staging,” Collins wrote.
Archer Western will construct an eastbound and a westbound bridge to elevate SR 316 over the Oconee Connector, Collins said.
The eastbound and westbound bridges will be shifted outward of the existing SR316 and Oconee Connector intersection, he continued.
In late 2023, GDOT indicated that it was considering a nearly four-mile-long detour during construction of the SR 316 and Jimmy Daniell Road intersection.
Collins said that GDOT will present a new detour plan at a Public Detour Open House “in the coming months.”
Collins said that construction on the Oconee Connector interchange with SR 316, one of the busiest intersections in the county, is expected to start in the fourth quarter of the year, which begins next month.
McNutt Creek Road Open House
Those attending the Public Information Open House in an outbuilding on the Prince Avenue Baptist Church campus on Sept. 25 encountered two sets of display boards, each with three project maps. (See below.)
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| Oconee Commission Chair 9/25/2025 Surrounded By GDOT Representatives |
One showed SR 316 intersections from Dials Mill Extension on the west to U.S. 78 on the east. The other two showed detailed drawings of the plans for the McNutt Creek Road and Mars Hill Road intersections.
In July of 2023, SueAnne Decker, then GDOT District PreConstruction Engineer, said that a “tight urban design” full interchange was to be built at McNutt Creek Road. At one point, GDOT was planning to build a flyover for Mars Hill Road at SR 316.
The plans presented at the meeting on Sept. 25 show a right-in, right-out design, meaning that McNutt Creek Road will no longer cross SR 316, and westbound traffic will be able to exit and travel north on McNutt Creek Road to Bogart but not turn south.
Eastbound traffic will be able to exit SR 316 and turn south on McNutt Creek Road but not turn north to Bogart.
The plans also show the planned offices of the Department of Driver Services, the Georgia Patrol, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on McNutt Creek Road south of SR 316.
Those traveling west and wishing to visit the Department of Driver Services, the Georgia Patrol, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will have to travel further west to Dials Mill Extension and then circle back to exit on McNutt Creek Road.
The plans show a turnaround for emergency vehicles on SR 316 west of McNutt Creek Road.
Oconee County has a fire station on McNutt Creek Road just north of SR 316.
The design presented at the Sept. 25 meeting shows Mars Hill Road ending in cul-de-sacs both north of and south of SR 316.
GDOT is accepting comments on both designs through Oct. 24. The online link for submitting those comment is HERE.
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| Overview Of Projects (Click To Enlarge) |
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| McNutt Creek Road Interchange (Click To Enlarge) |
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| Mars Hill Road Interchange (Click To Enlarge) |
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