Commissioners warned that state DOT may build anyway and bill county for costs of moving utilities

Fayette County commissioners by a 3-1 vote on Feb. 8 agreed to inform the Ga. Department of Transportation (DOT) that Fayette is no longer interested in the two roundabouts to be located on Ga. Highway 92 South at Seay Road and Antioch Road.

Above, aerial shot of proposed sites for roundabouts on Ga. Highway 92 South. Photo/Fayette County Commission information package.

The vote to essentially kill the $8 million dual-roundabout highway safety project came because the majority of commissioners did not believe it appropriate to spend the $779,000 required to move county water lines out of the state’s right-of-way. The motion also included the request that the $8 million be used for other priority projects in the county.

Commissioners in December asked DOT officials to consider absorbing some of that cost, with DOT in a Feb. 8 email saying that will not occur.

Commissioners objected to the county having to spend $779,000 to move county water lines out of the state right-of-way. The vote was 3-1, with commissioners Randy Ognio, Charles Rousseau and Steve Brown in favor. Oddo was opposed.

The project, which has been on the state’s planning timeline for years, would have led to the installation of two nearby roundabouts on Hwy. 92 South, at Seay Road and Antioch Road, with a price tag of $8 million. The project also included installing a four-lane roadway with a continuous median between the two roundabouts. That move was due to the anticipation that, at some future date, Hwy. 92 South could be four-laned.

Commissioners prior to the vote noted that previous discussions led them to believe the state would pay for all the costs associated with the project, and had requested that help at a December commission meeting. Yet a letter from DOT received on Feb. 8 indicated that funding to offset the $779,000 to move county water lines from state property would not be forthcoming.

Staff reports on the agenda item stated that, had commissioners approved the measure, the $779,000 could come from the Fayette County Water System Renewal and Extension Enterprise Fund. That fund has a current balance of $7.34 million.

Public Works Director Phil Mallon noted that DOT could go ahead with the project, requiring that the water lines be removed regardless, at what could be a higher cost to the county.

The reason is that, had commissioners agreed, the memorandum of understanding between Fayette County Water System and DOT allows water infrastructure relocation to be included in the DOT project. The inclusion of the relocation work in the contract allows for a potential lower installation cost, more project oversight and eliminates costs associated with project delays, a staff memo said.

Comments at previous meetings by County Administrator Steve Rapson noted that it would take the county 38-40 years to recoup the money if the $779,000 was put into adding additional water lines to unserved areas.

National crash data shows injuries and fatalities are reduced by 77 percent with a 4-way stop, and a reduction of 83 percent with a roundabout.

On a related matter, commissioners in November unanimously approved $1 million for the construction of a county-funded roundabout at the intersection of Antioch Road and Goza Road, a short distance from the proposed roundabouts on Hwy. 92 South. Commissioners felt that a roundabout would better serve the intersection safety needs, rather than spending $409,000 to have a four-way stop installed at the intersection.

The Antioch Road/Goza Road roundabout will be funded using SPOLST (special purpose local option sales tax) revenues.