| EDITORIAL
Another
Perspective
Shiloh grad shares his view of U.S. 78
by Chris Lindsey
As
many local news organizations have reported, the Highway 78 corridor
will soon be a construction zone. The Georgia Department of
Transportation is going to install a median which will replace the
“suicide lanes” - the dangerous reversible lane system that
stretches for seven miles through Snellville. As a local resident
who grew up in the area, I can tell you the median is long overdue.
I graduated from Shiloh High School in 2004, and for most of my high
school career my parents refused to let me drive on Highway 78
because of the lane system.
There are many worries, though, that
the median construction will bring thriving business along 78 to a
rapid halt. The Highway 78 Community Improvement District (CID) was
formed in 2003 to work with the Georgia DOT to insure that business
along the corridor would continue to grow. The CID is a tremendous
asset for the businesses along the 78 corridor.
What about those of us that don’t own
property within the Highway 78 CID? We will all have to suffer
through the agonizing traffic during the construction period. Is the
78 CID doing anything beneficial for those of us that live, work,
and shop along Highway 78?
Yes! The 78 CID is working hard to
make sure that you and I are able to continue about our lives with
minimal interruption by construction and the median. The CID has
assembled an e-newsletter for traffic updates, so we will all know
ahead of time when and where delays will be so we can plan
accordingly. Displays will be placed on either end of the corridor
to notify drivers of construction delays, and the system will be
updated throughout the day. The CID is currently working on several
projects to connect business entrances along 78 so that when the
median is completed, people can use one break in the median to
access many businesses. The CID is also helping fund a state-of-the-art system known as Intelligent
Transportation System to make sure traffic
flows through the intersections in the quickest and safest manner
possible.
The Highway 78 CID is also helping
plan sidewalk projects that will increase pedestrian access to parks
and businesses along the 78 corridor. When any of us wishes to save
a little gas money, we will now have sidewalks that provide enough
connections to get us where we need to go. And what if we want to
exercise or play in and around the Highway 78 corridor? Gwinnett
County is expanding more parks in our area and adding parks at
Vecoma on the Yellow River and South Gwinnett Park on McGee Road!
Although the 78 CID was created to
help business in the area, its job does not stop there. During
construction the CID will help keep commuters informed of
construction areas and delays. When construction is completed, the
corridor will have a newer, safer lane system and businesses will be
more accessible to shoppers. The 78 CID is working to improve
business along 78, as well as working to improve the lives of
commuters, shoppers, and residents in the area.
Chris Lindsey grew up in
Gwinnett County, graduated with honors from Shiloh High School, and
currently attends the University of Georgia seeking a degree in
Political Science and Pre-Law. He has worked with the Highway 78 CID
each of the past two summers and recently completed an extensive
sidewalk inventory of the corridor for use in gaining construction
funding.
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