Plans for a proposed route that would connect Thompson Bridge Road/Ga. 60 with Ga. 365 has led a group of residents to appeal to a citizen’s group for help.
During Thursday’s Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Committee meeting, a group of North Hall residents presented their case as to why the Northern Connector project shouldn’t be located at any of the proposed locations.
“We thought this would be the right place to voice our opposition, since you are the citizens arm of the planning (department),” said Debbie Lawson Davis, who is a member of the Lake Lanier Community Preservation Association.
“If the proposed routes are drawn from point to point, as we think they are, then we are opposed to the locations for many reasons, including the cost to taxpayers to build (bridges over Lake Lanier).”
The preservation group also says that the proposed routes would cause the former Olympic venue at Clarks Bridge Park to lose its ability to attract “world-class events” because the warm-up area would be lost to a proposed bridge. The group also says that the proposed location would destroy nearby neighborhoods.
There are several routes that are being considered by planners for the Northern Connector. The main two both start near Mount Vernon Road. One route would be around 7.5 miles and would end near White Sulphur Road; the other would be around 9.2 miles and end near Whitehall Road.
During the meeting, planning officials stressed that the project only contains proposed routes and that the project is far from being official. The goal of the project is to give travelers a path from the eastern to western portions of the county.
“We’re not opposed to the Northern Connector concept, but we just want you to go back to the drawing board (with locations),” Lawson Davis said.
Through its Web site, the preservation association says that its members have collected more than 900 signatures from residents who share the group’s sentiments about the proposed connector locations. The citizen’s group isn’t the only entity that is displeased by the proposed route. During a recent Hall County Board of Commissioners meeting, members voted to recommend that the Greater Hall Metro Planning Organization remove the current connector routes from the project proposal.
Although the members of the citizen advisory committee agree with the preservation group that additional consideration should be given to the proposed routes, Hugh Tyner, the committee’s chairman, says that, ultimately, the Northern Connector shouldn’t be moved too far north.
“In my opinion, moving the connector further north is not the answer,” Tyner said. “If it’s moved further north, it’s going to have less of an impact relieving traffic issues in the downtown area, which is what we want to do.”
The project is one of several being considered by the planning organization for its long-range transportation plan which includes work that could go on through 2040. The connector plan is projected to cost around $150 million, but funding sources have yet to be identified.
The planning organization’s policy committee is expected to take up the Northern Connector issue during its November meeting.
During Thursday’s Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Committee meeting, a group of North Hall residents presented their case as to why the Northern Connector project shouldn’t be located at any of the proposed locations.
“We thought this would be the right place to voice our opposition, since you are the citizens arm of the planning (department),” said Debbie Lawson Davis, who is a member of the Lake Lanier Community Preservation Association.
“If the proposed routes are drawn from point to point, as we think they are, then we are opposed to the locations for many reasons, including the cost to taxpayers to build (bridges over Lake Lanier).”
The preservation group also says that the proposed routes would cause the former Olympic venue at Clarks Bridge Park to lose its ability to attract “world-class events” because the warm-up area would be lost to a proposed bridge. The group also says that the proposed location would destroy nearby neighborhoods.
There are several routes that are being considered by planners for the Northern Connector. The main two both start near Mount Vernon Road. One route would be around 7.5 miles and would end near White Sulphur Road; the other would be around 9.2 miles and end near Whitehall Road.
During the meeting, planning officials stressed that the project only contains proposed routes and that the project is far from being official. The goal of the project is to give travelers a path from the eastern to western portions of the county.
“We’re not opposed to the Northern Connector concept, but we just want you to go back to the drawing board (with locations),” Lawson Davis said.
Through its Web site, the preservation association says that its members have collected more than 900 signatures from residents who share the group’s sentiments about the proposed connector locations. The citizen’s group isn’t the only entity that is displeased by the proposed route. During a recent Hall County Board of Commissioners meeting, members voted to recommend that the Greater Hall Metro Planning Organization remove the current connector routes from the project proposal.
Although the members of the citizen advisory committee agree with the preservation group that additional consideration should be given to the proposed routes, Hugh Tyner, the committee’s chairman, says that, ultimately, the Northern Connector shouldn’t be moved too far north.
“In my opinion, moving the connector further north is not the answer,” Tyner said. “If it’s moved further north, it’s going to have less of an impact relieving traffic issues in the downtown area, which is what we want to do.”
The project is one of several being considered by the planning organization for its long-range transportation plan which includes work that could go on through 2040. The connector plan is projected to cost around $150 million, but funding sources have yet to be identified.
The planning organization’s policy committee is expected to take up the Northern Connector issue during its November meeting.