Chatham County OKs $10.5M Benton Boulevard extension to relieve Port Wentworth, Effingham commuters (Savannah: sales)

[Airforceguy]

The 18-month contract with Reeves Construction Company includes the construction of a two-lane road with a bridge at St. Augustine Creek. The project also includes roadway drainage, sidewalk and intersection improvements at Highlands Boulevard, Meinhard Road and Ga. 30. In addition, Highlands Boulevard will be widened at the request of the city of Savannah.

The project will be paid for using revenue raised by Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Funds approved by voters, although the city will reimburse the county about $650,000 to cover the costs of Highlands widening.

Savannah officials have expressed concerns about the Benton extension leading to more congestion for Highlands residents and they are also seeking to get the state to widen Benton to four lanes.

The state has offered to pay 70 percent of the costs to widen Benton, although the city would still have to come up with about $4 million for the project, City Manager Rob Hernandez recently told the Savannah City Council.

https://www.savannahnow.com/news/201...gham-commuters

[WanderingImport]

This needs to be done correctly the first time. The extension will obviously require 2 lanes in each direction. Just look at the traffic on Benton Boulevard right now. It’s in dire need of widening. Effingham needs a second way to get to Chatham. It’ll be gridlocked with fresh pavement.

[GA Survivor]

Only one lane each way, just like the Effingham Parkway it will connect to. It will only create more gridlock at Benton and Pooler Pkwy. Whom ever planned the SPLOST projects for the county short changed the important ones. This should have been 2 lanes each way and they really blew it on the Quacco Road/Pooler Pkwy widening. Didn't include money to widen the I-95 bridge and then didn't even have enough money to do anything in the Pooler portion and only 1 lane with a center turn lane but they can afford a 10' bike path on one side and a 5' path between 95 & Highway 17.

[toscgwsndiqz]

Originally Posted by GA Survivor

Only one lane each way, just like the Effingham Parkway it will connect to. It will only create more gridlock at Benton and Pooler Pkwy. Whom ever planned the SPLOST projects for the county short changed the important ones. This should have been 2 lanes each way and they really blew it on the Quacco Road/Pooler Pkwy widening. Didn't include money to widen the I-95 bridge and then didn't even have enough money to do anything in the Pooler portion and only 1 lane with a center turn lane but they can afford a 10' bike path on one side and a 5' path between 95 & Highway 17.

CAT and bike paths are the City of Savannah's solution to West Chatham and Effingham traffic woes

Catch a CAT or Bike to work...…….

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by toscgwsndiqz

CAT and bike paths are the City of Savannah's solution to West Chatham and Effingham traffic woes

Catch a CAT or Bike to work...…….

While I’m an advocate for mass transit, realistically most people will still want to drive so there needs to be more of a solution than just CAT and/or a bicycle.

[bellhead]

Honestly they should do a full on divided highway here so you cannot turn across the oncoming traffic, this way you can set the speed at 55 on the road.

[Airforceguy]

It looks like a potential deal for GDOT to fund the widening of Highlands and Benton Blvd has fallen through because the city will not agree to lift truck bans of Benton and Highlands Blvd...

The visit to the state capitol comes after the Chatham County Commission approved a $10.5 million construction plan for a two-lane extension from Highlands Boulevard to Ga. 30, which will link to the Effingham Parkway extension. Due to concerns about the increased amount of traffic the road projects will generate and the impact on Savannah’s Highland’s residents, city officials have been negotiating with GDOT to widen Benton and Highlands to four lanes.

The state had offered to pay 70 percent of the costs of the widening, although the city would still have to come up with about $4 million for the project, City Manager Rob Hernandez recently told the city council.

Unfortunately, the latest proposal from GDOT to provide funding requires that the city lift a truck ban on Highlands and Benton, said Alderman Van Johnson. As a result, Johnson, who represents the area, and the rest of the council requested that the city reject the deal.

https://www.savannahnow.com/news/201...nds-boulevards

[Airforceguy]

The Savannah city council is requesting that GDOT take over maintenance of the Truman, Veterans and Jimmy DeLoach Parkways. With the former routes, if GDOT does take over maintenance, I wonder if they will attach state route numbers or will they try to go with interstate designations. With the later, GDOT will definitely attach a state route number.

GDOT Maintenance of Limited Access Highways: The City requests that the Georgia Department of Transportation take over
maintenance of the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway, the Truman Parkway and Veterans Parkway

http://agenda.savannahga.gov/content...agenda-rev.pdf

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by Airforceguy

The Savannah city council is requesting that GDOT take over maintenance of the Truman, Veterans and Jimmy DeLoach Parkways. With the former routes, if GDOT does take over maintenance, I wonder if they will attach state route numbers or will they try to go with interstate designations. With the later, GDOT will definitely attach a state route number.

http://agenda.savannahga.gov/content...agenda-rev.pdf

The city / county have done terrible jobs at maintaining these roads, but what’s in it for GDOT?

[Airforceguy]

Construction starts in 30 days...

Construction will soon begin on the Benton Boulevard Extension Project. It’s a multi-million-dollar project that has been on the minds of Chatham County commissioners for almost 20 years.

Right now, the intersection of Benton Boulevard and Highlands Boulevard dead ends at Benton, meaning you either have to hang a right onto Highlands Boulevard or take a left into the Highlands community. Once this project is completed, drivers on Benton Boulevard will be able to make it to Highway 30 in Port Wentworth, meaning drivers in Effingham County will be able to take Benton Boulevard and avoid Highway 21, which gets extremely busy.

Work expected to begin soon on Benton Blvd Extension Project