Commission candidate raises Publix traffic concern
Apr. 9—A candidate vying for a seat on the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners brought up a traffic concern with the new Publix Supermarket opening soon at Lakeside Commons.
Jay Wright is seeking the District 4 seat currently held by Commissioner Henry H. Craig, who is not seeking re-election. Wright discussed the traffic concern at the April 2 county commission meeting.
"I'm speaking to you this evening about the new Publix grocery complex," Wright told commissioners. "There's a grave concern that I have about the proposed traffic plan proposed for the complex."
Wright said the new development is unique because the property is within the city limits.
"One entrance and exit is on Log Cabin Road, which is a county road, and another entrance and exit is on Highway 441, which falls under Georgia Department of Transportation jurisdiction," Wright said. "The concern I have is with the 441 exit from the complex."
He said according to a GDOT statistic published in an article in a March 2023 edition of The Union-Recorder, approximately 23,000 vehicles per day pass through that area.
"The intersection of Highway 441 and Log Cabin Road is already one of the most dangerous intersections in the county," Wright said. "The Publix complex has a left turn exit with a stop sign just up the hill from a red light at 441."
He said the stretch of roadway heading northbound starts with a curve and a slope where cars are already speeding down the hill trying to make the light before it turns red.
"In the event that a car gets hit while making that left turn [out of Publix], the brunt of the impact will most likely occur in the driver's side door, and has a strong potential for a fatality," Wright said.
He said he wasn't sure what the decision-making process was in allowing the lefthand turn exit, "but I can assure that when lives are lost — and I can almost guarantee you if this exit is allowed to open — lives will be lost — the blood of those killed or injured will be on the hands of the city and county officials, alike, for not standing up to GDOT."
Wright asked commissioners to protect constituents by reaching out to their city leadership counterparts to unite in a common cause.
"I beg of you to take the necessary steps to protect my family, your family and each and every member of our beautiful community," Wright said.
He said he planned to speak to the mayor and members of Milledgeville City Council at this week's council meeting.
Since Wright's concerns, Baldwin County Commission Chairman Johnny Westmoreland has reached out by letter to Corbett Reynolds, who serves as the District 2 engineer with the Georgia Department of Transportation.
"After investigating the situation, the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners agrees that the decision to allow a left-hand turn lane onto Highway 441, with the amount of traffic anticipated at the Publix shopping center, should be re-evaluated," Westmoreland said. "There is a traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 441 and Log Cabin. There is good traffic circulation within the Publix shopping center to the Log Cabin exit. We urge you to reconsider allowing a left turn lane onto Highway 441 before the center opens next month."
