« Are connector streets near US 78 needed? »

Lest you think the Buzz always sides with developers and construction, the case of connector streets near US 78 in the Evermore CID is more vexing that the reversible lanes that construction on the highway is replacing. I certainly sympathize with the residents who stand to lose significant chunks of their property. In general, I support road development including reengineering, expansion and new highways because these projects typically provide more efficient travel, something that is especially important for an area like Gwinnett that is drowning in traffic. Unfortunately, sometimes road development negatively impacts private property owners in the vicinity of these projects. Despite this, roadwork that benefits tens or maybe even hundreds of thousands of people cannot be stopped because of these impacts. Such work is one of the limited cases that have to supercede private property rights to ensure that our communities have the basic infrastructure we require. That being said, I am not sure that the potential negative impacts of the proposed connector streets are justified.

The question at the heart of this dilemma is what is the true purpose of these roads? Are they like the collector-distributor lane system on I-85 that eases travel on the main interstate by offloading entry and exit traffic onto the C/D lanes? Or do these streets proposed more to improve access to businesses along US 78 than to help traffic on the main road? The article is not completely clear on the intent of the CID, but there are hints that these streets are more to benefit the business owners than US 78 travelers. As such, I would tend to agree with the residents that these streets should not be built as proposed. It would be grossly unfair to take away these homeowners' property primarily to benefit other private property owners. Conversely, if these streets would provide a significant traffic benefit to traffic on the main road, I would be inclined to support the project.

While I understand that the new median in US 78 will affect businesses fronting the highway, that is one of the negative impacts of road development that I spoke of above. However, there is no justification to offload this impact to other private property owners. The residents along US 78 deserve a clear expression of the intent of the project with evidence to back-up any beneficial claims by the CID.