Two Athens-Clarke County commissioners have introduced an alternate plan for North Avenue that would keep it five lanes wide, despite widespread public support for slowing traffic and improving safety.
The commission-defined option from Tiffany Taylor and Ovita Thornton includes bike lanes and sidewalks, but they would be separated from the road only by a narrow curb, or the bike lanes would not be protected at all. Their option would also ditch a recommended roundabout on the northeast side of the Loop.
The commission is set to vote Wednesday on a “Reimagine North Avenue” plan, funded by a $25 million federal RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) grant.
At an agenda-setting meeting last month, Thornton called the grant “a deal with the devil” and walked out of the commission chamber with Taylor during a discussion on the plans. She and Commissioner Dexter Fisher also voiced opposition to eliminating car lanes at a previous work session.
County staff is recommending a four-lane configuration, with two northbound lanes, a center turn lane, one southbound lane, and bike lanes and sidewalks or a shared-use path that’s separated from motor vehicles. They’re recommending four lanes over a three-lane version because the University of Georgia, Classic Center, Athens Downtown Development Authority and Athens Area Chamber of Commerce raised concerns about visitors leaving town after football games or arena events, according to ACC documents.
According to input from members of the public—55% of whom live along the corridor, the vast majority of them drivers—safety is a much higher concern than traffic congestion. While a few comments said ACC should prioritize cars, the top concerns were that North Avenue feels unsafe, traffic is too fast, it’s difficult to cross, the sidewalks are too narrow, bike facilities are limited, and it lacks adequate lighting and shade. Enhanced crosswalks, filling in sidewalk gaps and separating bikes from cars were three of the top four requests (improving the appearance ranked third).
Athens in Motion—an advisory board on transportation appointed by the mayor and commission—recommended the three-lane option because it would slow traffic, making North Avenue safer. But the Transportation and Public Works Department viewed slowing traffic as a drawback, despite planning and pedestrian safety staff arguing in favor of it.
“Separated facilities for people moving slowly (walking and in wheelchairs) to those moving faster (people on bikes, personal scooters, etc.) would provide the greatest protection,” according to a letter the nine-member AIM commission unanimously passed last month. “The four lane option (two lanes of vehicular traffic northbound and one lane southbound, with a center turn lane), while not as transformative, appears to meet the minimum grant requirements.”
Because RAISE grants are meant to improve safety and environmental sustainability, if the Thornton/Taylor CDO passes, ACC could potentially lose a highly competitive grant that’s the largest the city has ever received from the federal government.
County officials have also warned the commission that significant delays could result in losing the grant as well, because recipients have a strict deadline of September 2026 to complete the planning and design process, award all contracts and get the U.S. Department of Transportation to sign off.
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