Bainbridge Bypass Construction: What’s Going On?

If you’re curious about what’s going on at the intersection of the Bainbridge Bypass and East Shotwell Street, you’re not alone.  Orange flags, red paint and yellow trucks and tractors have been working at the intersection for several weeks now.  So, what exactly is going on?

After years of wrecks (and plenty of “almost wrecked”) phone calls, the Georgia Department of Transportation has officially decided to change the way the Bypass and Shotwell street intersect.

The purpose of the proposed project is to reduce the crash frequency and/or severity of both drivers and pedestrians at the intersection of State Route 1BU/State Route 38BU at State Route 38/US 84 Bypass and Frontage Rd in Decatur County, GA. US 84 is designated as GRIP Corridor. Safety is a major focus area for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). According to the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), the majority of the statewide crashes occur along state routes.  In an initiative to reduce crashes along this corridor, the project will add a traffic signal in conjunction with the realignment of the above mentioned intersection. This device eliminates the conflicting phases from running
simultaneously.  According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the implementation of a properly placed traffic signal will greatly reduce the redundancy of angle crashes. The realignment of the side street, Frontage Road and US 84/SR 38 Bypass, will improve the intersection sight distance.  Crash data from 2009‐2013 was analyzed and the data indicated a total of 5 crashes. Three of these crashes resulted in injuries, while one crash resulted in a fatality. Based on engineering judgment, it is believed that the use of a traffic signal along with roadway realignment at the above mentioned location would greatly reduce crash frequency and/or severity.

— GDOT Project Justification Statement

So, what exactly are they doing?

The alignment of Shotwell Street, Highway 84 East and the east end of the Bainbridge Bypass is going to significantly change.  A few key points:

• Shotwell Street will no longer transition into State Route 38/Highway 84.  Instead, Shotwell Street will curve into the Bainbridge Bypass and dead end at a traffic light.
• The Bainbridge Bypass will no longer split and merge into Shotwell Street/Highway 84 with multiple entry/exit points.
• A traffic light and major intersection will be installed on the Bainbridge Bypass, just southeast of the Bainbridge YMCA property where Shotwell Street, the Bainbridge Bypass and Highway 84 will meet.

Description of the proposed project:
This project consist of improving the intersection on the east end of the Bainbridge Bypass to allow for its connectivity with US 84 and the re‐alignment of US 84 BUS. This project will need a traffic signal. This project is located in Decatur County, on the east side of Bainbridge, GA. The design speed for SR 1BUS/SR 38BUS is 35 mph and the design speed for SR 38/US 84 is 50 mph.

— GDOT

Final question: how much is this going to cost? $3,240,832.30

ITEMS COST: $2,885,968.73
LIQUID AC ADJUSTMENT $200,538.22
ESTIMATED COST: $3,086,506.95
ENGINEERING AND INSPECTION: 0.05
ESTIMATED COST WITH LIQUID
AC ADJUSTMENT AND E&I: $3,240,832.30

–GDOT