Special to the Herald

SPRINGFIELD – Effingham County and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) have reached an accord to hasten the process for installing a traffic signal at the intersection of Ga. Hwy 21 (Springfield Bypass) and McCall Road.

GDOT agreed to allow Effingham County to take the lead on the project, which, in addition to a traffic signal, will include the construction of left-hand turn lanes on McCall Road on each side of the crossing. The county will also be responsible for the project’s design costs and right-of-way acquisition for the lane additions.

The county, which initiated negotiations to speed up the project, will be reimbursed by GDOT, which maintains final say on the design plan. A preliminary plan is under consideration.

Prompted by an increase in traffic and accidents – the most recent being a fatal accident on June 17 -- the Effingham County Board of Commissioners reached out to GDOT and asked for a signal to be installed at the intersection. GDOT agreed to make the addition following a traffic study.

“We are not going to tie this in one contract with the roundabout at McCall and Courthouse (Road), because that right-of-way acquisition is going to take additional time," County Manager Tim Callanan told the Board of Commissioners at their June 18 meeting. “So, we're going to move this ahead a little bit more quickly. We're going to treat this as a separate project as soon as GDOT approves.”

The improvements to the intersection will be funded through Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds.

The board, which considers the safety enhancement a “top priority,” gave the project a unanimous green light during a Nov. 21, 2023, meeting.