Long regarded as one of Bulloch County's most dangerous cross-sections of road, the intersection of State Routes 46 and 67 is being given a new and, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation, safer configuration.
      Florescent traffic barrels line the two roadways, which meet under a pair of flashing traffic lights a short distance from Interstate-16, where the Department of Transportation is conducting a year-long project to reconstruct the intersection.
      The current layout, which is a cross road with a very sharp skew, routinely creates hazardous traffic conditions throughout the day, according to DOT area engineer C. R. Jackson.
      The location requires travelers approaching Highway 67 from Highway 46 to stop, before proceeding across the roadway or onto a section of road where drivers are required to slow from 55 mph to 45 mph.
      Only, drivers often exceed the speed limit and the cross-section's awkward angle creates dangerous blind-spots for those turning, Jackson said.
      The result: more than a dozen lives have been lost in less than three decades due to traffic accidents at the intersection - local residents can recount up to 17 deaths within the last 30 years.
      According to Jackson, the Department of Transportation is working to minimize the hazards.
      "At certain times of the day there is a great deal of congestion and traffic backup at this intersection due to competition for left turn traffic from SR-67 onto either SR-46 or CR-927," he said - Highway 46 becomes County Road 927 once the road crosses Highway 67. "This project will take the congestion out of this intersection by realigning and separating SR-46 and CR-927 where they intersect SR-67 respectively."
      The plan, said Jackson, will be to bend the intersecting road (SR-46/CR-927) on each side of Highway 67, creating a 90 degree angle to turn onto, or from, Highway 67 in each direction.
      The slight turns will separate Highway 46 and County Road 927 by approximately 1,000 feet, meaning drivers wishing to continue along the route will have to turn onto Highway 67 for a short distance before veering back off.
      The intersection's current layout is one of many out-dated traffic designs being reconfigured across the state, said Jackson.
      "This project is a Federal Aid Project. Past designs of intersections have had roadways intersecting at an angle. Both the Federal Highway Administration and Georgia DOT have been redesigning and reconstructing intersections to accommodate 90 degree approaches," he said. "Congestion, traffic backup and accidents are all factors that are looked at when a study is done by the Department."
      According to Jackson, a traffic signal study was also performed but the intersection did not meet warrants for a signal.
      "It was determined that a traffic signal may actually be more detrimental at this location and that a much safer and more efficient alternative would be to realign the intersections," he said.
      As a result of realignment, a center turn lane will be added to the currently two-lane Highway 67.
      Also, dedicated right turn lanes will be installed on each side of the road to serve traffic turning onto Highway 46 and County Road 927.
      The additions will help to "eliminate traffic backup and improve the overall safety and operation of the intersection," said Jackson.
      Work to reconstruct the crossing - which averages 8,700 vehicles per day - began the first week in May.
      According to Jackson, paving operations are being conducted throughout August and September.
      The project, slated to be completed by the spring of 2012, is currently on schedule and within budget, he said.
Metter-based paving company Sikes Brothers, Inc - who also has an office in Statesboro - was awarded the project contract for $1,399,999.

      Jeff Harrison can be reached at (912) 489-9454.