There will be no roadblocks standing in the way of back to school traffic this week. The intersection at Oak Grove and Highway 19 should open in time for the big day on Thursday, August 5th.
For now, the stop sign at the end of Oak Grove will return, while Highway Business 19 will open for traffic. The area has been closed since May 24 in order to construct a roundabout, a $1.9 million collaboration between Lumpkin County, the City of Dahlonega, and the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“As you can see they’ve got the asphalt down they’re looking to have the roadway open for the school system looking at Wednesday afternoon,” said Sheriff Stacy Jarrard in a video posted to the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
There had been some doubt about its reopening in time, which could lead to extra traffic in the mornings and afternoons. It was an item of discussion at the July Lumpkin County Board of Education meeting, where there was question about what day it would open.
"They're telling us the third, that we'll have two lanes open and that's what we need,” said Greg Trammel, Lumpkin County Facilities director. "My guess is it'll be the fourth and it'll be muddy coming through there.”
There will likely still be some intermittent flagging during the school day, but the detour is expected to be discontinued until the project is completed.
The roundabout is expected to be completed by January 1, 2022.
