A State Route 316 Planning Study released by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is recommending upgrades to four intersections of that roadway in Oconee County not currently scheduled for or undergoing reconstruction.
The study is recommending that the McNutt Creek Road intersection be converted to a right-in, right-out design, that the Mars Hill Road intersection be closed, that the SR Loop 10 intersection be massively upgraded, and that Julian Drive fly over SR 316.
The plans for McNutt Creek Road and for Mars Hill Road are not new, having been released by GDOT at a Public Information Open House held by GDOT on Sept. 25 at Prince Avenue Baptist Church on U.S. 78. The plans for the SR 10 Loop remain unspecified.
The recommendation that the Julian Road intersection be grade separated without access to SR 316 is the clearest indication to this point of what GDOT is likely to do at that intersection.
In addition to these recommendations for the four intersections, the Planning Study is proposing that the Oconee Connector be upgraded from a four-lane to a six-lane road from Mars Hill Road/Daniells Bridge Road to Virgil Langford Road and that U.S. 78 be upgraded from four lanes to six lanes from Pete Dickens Road to the county line at McNutt Creek.
The Planning Study does not offer new construction dates for the projects, though it proposes that the Julian Drive Interchange be completed before the McNutt Creek Road, Mars Hill Road, and SR Loop 10 interchanges.
The Planning Study does provide new cost estimates of each of the projects, with the SR Loop 10 intersection upgrade now projected to cost $121.1 million.
The State Route 316 Planning Study covers eight other intersections of that highway from I-85 in Gwinnett County to SR Loop 10 with the goal of converting the divided highway to a full limited access highway.
Study Background
GDOT released the report of the Planning Study on Nov. 3.
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| Full List Of Recommendations (Click To Enlarge) |
Prepared by Arcadis U.S. Inc. and Modern Mobility Partners LLC, the report runs 115 pages and contains numerous charts and maps detailing the recommendations for each of the 12 intersections on SR 316 not currently under or nearing construction.
Construction is underway for the intersections of Jimmy Daniell Road, Virgil Langford Road, and the Oconee Connector with SR 316.
GDOT is building full intersections at Jimmy Daniell Road and at the Oconee Connector. Virgil Langford Road will fly over SR 316 at what is called a grade separation interchange.
Construction of a full interchanges is scheduled to begin in 2026 at Dials Mill Extension. Dials Mill Road will end in cul-de-sacs on each side of SR 316 as part of that construction.
Arcardis and Modern Mobility Partners describe their report as “the latest in a series of studies and plans for the SR 316 corridor” since construction began on the highway in the 1960s “that recommend converting the highway to a limited-access corridor.”
The study concludes that even with the improvements already underway or planned, “additional improvements are needed to increase safety and mobility and to support continued economic development.”
The report lists two “Build Alternatives” to leaving the 12 intersections as they are.
Oconee Project Recommendations
Build 1 Alternative proposes a full interchange of McNutt Creek Road and SR 316, a closing of the Mars Hill Road intersection ending in cul-de-sacs on each side, and a grade separation (flyover) at Julian Drive. It does not list the interchanges at SR Loop 10.
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| Julian Drive Recommendation (County Listing In Error" (Click To Enlarge) |
Build 2 Alternative proposes a right-in right-out intersection at McNutt Creek Road, closing of Mars Hill Road with cul-de-sacs, a right-in right-out design at Julian Drive, and a full interchange upgrade at SR Loop 10.
Arcardis and Modern Mobility Partners conducted a “Benefit-Cost Analysis” of the two Build Alternatives” and concluded that Build 2 scores higher.
In the end, Arcardis and Modern Mobility Partners say “the Build 2 alternative is advanced to the final recommendations, with a couple of minor modifications.”
For Oconee County, the key modification is the recommendation that Julian Drive be a grade separation interchange as was proposed in Build 1 Alternative rather than the Build 2 Alternative proposal of a right-in right out design.
The final recommendations are the results of the technical analysis, “feedback from stakeholders and the community”and the additional capacity and operational projects proposed, including the six-laning of the Oconee Connector and SR 78, according to the report.
“Funding for all phases of all projects is still being determined,” the report authors write, “but it is anticipated that GDOT will implement the at-grade crossing improvements” proposed.
Cost Estimates
The current GDOT Program Project Cost for the McNutt Creek Road interchange is $17.2 million, and the SR 316 Planning Study Total cost is $15.3 million.
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| McNutt Creek Road Recommendation (Click To Enlarge) |
The current GDOT Program Project Cost for the Mars Hill Road interchange is $13.0 million, and the SR 316 Planning Study Total cost is $330,000.
The current GDOT Program Project Cost for the Julian Drive interchange is $13.8 million, and the SR 316 Planning Study Total cost is $14.5 million.
The current GDOT Program Project Cost for the SR 10 Loop interchange is $10.9 million, and the SR 316 Planning Study Total cost is $221.3 million.
The projected cost of the six-laning of U.S. 78 from Pete Dickens Road to McNutt Creek is $38.9 million, and the projected cost of the six-laning of the Oconee Connector from Mars Hill Road/Daniells Bridge Road to Virgil Langford Road is $13.0 million.
Arcadis U.S. and Modern Mobility recommend that the construction be divided into three stages, with the Julian Drive interchange in the first phase, the McNutt Creek Road and Mars Hill Road interchanges in Phase 2, and the SR Loop 10 interchange in Phase 3.
The other eight interchanges included in the SR 316 Planning Study are Drowning Creek Road, Oak Valley Road, and Williams Farm Drive in Gwinnett County, and County Route 138/Smith Cemetery Road, County Route 138/Jackson Trail Road, Harrison Mill Road, Harry McCarty Road, and Wall Road in Barrow County.
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