VALDOSTA — City Council approved a project agreement with the state Department of Transportation on Thursday that could pave the way for widening Jerry Jones/Eager Road from Oak Street to Gornto Road.

City Manager Larry Hanson stressed that the agreement still left room for negotiation with DOT about other alternatives for what has become one of Valdosta’s busiest roads.

More than 21,000 cars per day use Jerry Jones and Eager Road. City Engineer Von Shipman said traffic counts are consistently high and not restricted to normally peak times such as early mornings.

The city attempted to convince state and federal officials to add only a third lane initially — which would theoretically improve traffic flow by creating a separate lane for traffic attempting to access the various residential neighborhoods that flank the road — but was told federal funds would only be granted for projects that increase vehicle capacity.

The same plan is currently under consideration for Gornto Road from Jerry Jones to Baytree Road, and will receive neither state nor federal participation if approved.

The DOT’s proposal for Jerry Jones was to add three additional lanes, one in each direction and a turn lane, but city officials flatly refused. Instead, they offered to design a four-lane road, but add the fourth lane only when necessary at no cost to DOT. That offer was also refused.

Hanson said he was hopeful that the city’s state and national political representatives could help bring transportation officials around to the city’s perspective. He also said additional public hearings will be held as the project moves forward.

Some concerned Jerry Jones residents spoke out against any widening project, fearing additional lanes would collapse property values, attract additional traffic and create a safety hazard by tempting vehicles into abutting neighborhoods in the hope of avoiding additional traffic signals that would accompany any widening project.

Hanson said signing the DOT agreement did not guarantee the road would be widened. He cited Gordon Street, which was on DOT improvement lists for several years, but never widened. The city recently requested Gordon be removed from that list in order to acquire DOT participation on more pressing projects.

Park Avenue is another example, Hanson said. That road is also on a DOT widening list, but no progress has been made toward construction.

Even under the fastest timetable, the Jerry Jones project would take years to complete, said Shipman.

At issue, is the lack of a high-capacity route to move traffic from North Lowndes County toward the mall area. City officials ultimately envision a plan that would widen Country Club Drive from North Valdosta Road to Jerry Jones, and use a combination of Jerry Jones and Gornto to pipe vehicles west. Baytree Road and Oak Street would then move traffic east away from the mall area, and then north toward Five Points.

Jerry Jones residents suggested extending Coleman Road near Interstate 75 to become a frontage road that would eventually connect with Baytree. That has been a popular idea of late, but Hanson said that project is at least 10 years off, and complicated because Coleman Road is a county road and a bridge would also have to be built. Shipman estimated the frontage road would cost $15 million.



To contact reporter Bill Roberts, please call 244-3400, ext. 245.