Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

Traffic light for stores on Hwy. 85 S. hinders commuters

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

The addition of a new traffic light on the south end of Ga. Highway 85 in Fayetteville hasn’t helped weekday commuters, who have experienced delays as thousands of cars make their way into and out of the city.

The new signal serves the latest large-scale commercial development in Fayetteville: the Summit Point shopping center, anchored by a Publix grocery store.

Part of the problem for commuters is the sheer volume of traffic going through Fayetteville in the mornings and afternoons, said City Engineer Don Easterbrook.

Easterbrook also noted that the section of highway just north and south of the light has only one lane of travel in each direction.

“The highway really needs to be widened,” Easterbrook said.

Hwy. 85 breaks off into two lanes for northbound vehicles at Grady Avenue, while southbound vehicles must merge from two lanes into one by the time they reach Grady Avenue.

The Summit Point traffic light, which also serves the Town Center shopping center across the street, is not yet connected to the city’s computerized traffic signal synchronization system.

That upgrade will be performed by the Georgia Department of Transportation some time in the near future, although no date has been set, Easterbrook said.