Ga. DOT Announces Temporary Intersection Closures

The Georgia Department of Transportation is announcing two more temporary intersection closures along the State Route 17 construction project that will begin next week.

Georgia DOT Spokesperson Teri Pope said that part of Fieldcrest Drive and Meadowbrook Drive closest to Highway 17 will be affected.

“We know folks are getting used to it,” said Pope. “We have done it several times already on the project. The roads that intersect or meet with State Route 17 have got to sometimes be raised and sometimes be lowered to meet the grade of the new roadway. We are going to start that work next Monday, July 13, for Fieldcrest Drive and Meadowbrook Drive as they meet Highway 17.”

Pope said the grade of Fieldcrest Drive must be raised six feet and the grade of Meadowbrook Drive must be lowered by nine feet to match the grade of the new Highway 17.

According to Pope, the good news is that crews can use the dirt removed from lowering Meadowbrook to raise the grade of Fieldcrest.

However, she said that work cannot take place if traffic is accessing these roads from Highway 17, which is why parts of these roads will be closed.

“We will be closing about 1000 feet of Fieldcrest and Meadowbrook closest to State Route 17,” said Pope. “It is not a complete closure of the road.”

However, Pope said that motorists would not be able to turn from State Route 17 onto either of these roads or vice versa.

Pope said traffic traveling only on Highway 17 will not be affected.

She did say that since traffic will not be able to turn from Highway 17 onto Fieldcrest or Meadowbrook, there will be a detour in place.

“Traffic will be directed to stay on 17 to the Toccoa By-pass, come down the Toccoa By-pass, and then get on Highway 145, turning onto Meadowbrook Industrial Road and then coming up to Fieldcrest or Meadowbrook kind of from the south side,” said Pope. “You are kind of going in through the back door.”

Pope said that for drivers who know the area, there are other routes they can take.

These closures are expected to last for about 30 days, depending on the weather.

This is all part of the construction project to build a four-lane Highway 17 from Memorial Drive in Toccoa to the Franklin-Stephens County line.

Pope said that crews are continuing to make progress on the work.

“There are three remaining intersections that have to have the grade changed,” said Pope. “These are two of the three.”

Pope said the other one is Whispering Pines Road.

“That will happen after we shift traffic onto that section,” said Pope.

The entire new, four-lane Highway 17 is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2016.