OK, it’s only a traffic light and it’s not the only traffic light in Putnam County. But if you ask the people who try to make left turns at the intersection of Scott Road onto Highway 44 (Lake Oconee Parkway) every day, it’s the most important traffic light in 11 years, if not ever.
“I know they’ve been delayed, but I’m so happy to see it coming,” said Megan McCutchin as she sat in her car on Scott Road waiting to turn shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday. She works at Lake Oconee Presbyterian Church off Scott Road.
“I haven’t seen an accident,” she said, “but I’ve seen a lot of people make really poor decisions because they get nervous about the backlog of traffic as they’re trying to make a left onto 44.”
“It’s way overdue,” said David Keenum, who lives along Scott Road and makes a lot of left turns heading to Greene County. “Lots of times, especially in the morning and late afternoon when the traffic is so heavy, I have to take a right and turn around up here in somebody’s driveway.”
County officials gathered at the corner of Georgia Highway 44 and Scott Road shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday to activate the long-promised, long-hoped-for and long-delayed traffic light.
Outgoing Putnam County Commission Chairman Billy Webster dished out ‘thank you’s including praise for Consulting Engineer Larry Kaiser and County Manager Paul Van Haute. Van Haute turned the spotlight on local residents, at least 20 of whom joined businesspeople who gathered for the brief ceremony.
“A big special shout out to the Putnam County citizens who approved the TSPLOST (Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax) project No. 1,” Van Haute said. “This is the last project. We did exactly what we said with your tax money, and you entrusted us with TSPOST No. 2 to continue the tradition.”
Van Haute said the county has been working since 2011 to do something to make the intersection safer. The project had been stalled in the Georgia Department of Transportation’s more than 15-year-long discussion about widening Highway 44 into four lanes.
Scott Road is a shortcut from Highway 441, and residential and businesses development has increased. But GDOT has insisted that traffic flow and safety evaluations did not indicate a need for a light at the Scott Road intersection.
There have been accidents, but every day there are frazzled nerves, impatience and near misses. Residents of the area disagreed with GDOT and made their feelings known to their county representatives.
GDOT’s entire plan to widen Highway 44 along the 11-mile stretch from I-20 in Greene County to Harmony Road in Putnam County has been modified, cut, redirected and the latest design was to have been made public last year but still has not been released.
In March 2021, GDOT responded to questions from local residents about the project. The only changes they announced were plans to remove the traffic lights at Linger Longer Road to build a roundabout and to let Putnam County add a traffic light at Scott Road, if the county paid for it.
“We could not have done this without GDOT’s help. Yes, they were a challenge, it was interesting,” Van Haute told the gathering Tuesday, “The alignment was an unknown. Up until we basically poured the concrete it was a discussion. Whether it was going to be a four-way, a three-way. Whether we’re going to move the roads. Where the bridge was going to wind up. Without their help this wouldn’t have come to fruition today.”
The traffic lights are programmed to alternate between eight and 35 seconds of green for Scott Road and between 15 and 65 seconds of green for Highway 44. Four cameras will adjust the timing according to the amount of traffic at the time.
The intersection is in Commissioner Bill Sharp’s District 3, so he got to throw the switch.
“There’s an old saying I like to quote,” Sharp said. “Travel light. Live light. Spread the light. Be the light. This light is dedicated to the people of Putnam County. May God bless us all.”