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Bethlehem still doesn’t need a stop light, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
DOT performed a traffic engineering study for the intersection of SR11 and Star Street and found that a traffic signal is not justified, according to a letter sent last week from District Engineer Russell McMurry to Mayor Sandy McNabb. DOT analyzed traffic crash history and volume at the intersection.
McNabb and other Bethlehem Town Council members said Thursday night they were disappointed by DOT’s decision and continued refusal.
"They won’t even give us a red light," McNabb said.
Craig Cole, who was at the council meeting for a rezone application, also expressed disappointment at the decision.
"Do there have to be so many number of accidents at that intersection before they’ll finally do something about it?" he asked the council.
There have not been enough "correctable crashes," defined as angle-type crashes, to warrant a stoplight, the letter states. DOT requires a minimum of five correctable crashes in 12 months. According to the letter, DOT’s analysis found only two correctable crashes at the intersection in the past year.
The letter also states that the intersection did not have a significant level of traffic sustained over the required eight hours in a day.
"The traffic volumes show that the minimum traffic volumes are met for six hours during a day," the letter states. "Thus, the major traffic volume warrant is not satisfied."
"It is apparent that the traffic volumes are growing as this study showed significantly more traffic than previous studies," McMurry’s letter states. "It is a reasonable expectation to consider reevaluating this location in 18 to 24 months."
McMurry recommended that turn lanes be constructed on Star Street to improve the intersection.
