Major Part of SR 17 Set to Open to Traffic Thursday

A major milestone in the Georgia Highway 17 widening and construction project is coming Thursday.

The Georgia Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday that the portions of the project located south of the Franklin County line to north of Scott Road will be opened to traffic on Thursday.

Georgia DOT Spokesperson Katie Strickland said this is another major step forward in the project to make Highway 17 four lanes from Interstate 85 all the way to Toccoa.

“Thursday morning, they hope to have everything removed from the roadway as far as on State Route 17 from the Franklin County line to north of Scott Road,” said Strickland. “Obviously, motorists will still need to drive alert and watch out for things that are still there from staging.”

While it is a major step, Strickland said it is not the final step.

She said work is continuing in the area where the new road meets the stretch of road that was widened from two to four lanes.

“I think it is from Hayes-Wilbanks Road to Scott Road, we are going to have one lane of traffic there because we still have to construct the tie-in,” said Strickland.

A ceremonial ribbon cutting to mark this step in the project is scheduled for Tuesday morning in Stephens County.