The addition of a traffic signal and associated improvements to Ga. Highway 85 South and Bernhard Road won’t take place until fall 2010 at the earliest, but it will have a significant impact when it does, county officials have said.

Public Works Director Phil Mallon told the County Commission last week that the Georgia Department of Transportation will have to close a portion of the eastern leg of Bernhard Road directly off the highway for up to six months during construction.

Mallon said the project involves changing the grade of that portion of the road so motorists will have improved sight distances. That fix is necessary because vehicles on Bernhard Road will be going thru the intersection in some cases upwards of 30 miles an hour, thanks to the traffic light, he added.

The bigger issue is the potential impact to public safety, as Bernhard Road is an important artery for the nearby county fire station located just north of Bernhard on Ga. Highway 85.

Commissioner Eric Maxwell suggested the county should send a letter to residents on Bernhard who will be directly affected by the road closing.

Bernhard Road forms one part of the few east-west traffic arteries across Fayette County. Four-lane Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree City turns into Bernhard Road. Eastbound drivers can continue across Hwy. 85 to Goza Road, all the way to Inman on the county’s eastern border.

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