Novel interchanges may come to Gwinnett

A novel interchange design called a "diverging diamond" is being studied for both the Pleasant Hill Rd./I-85 and Jimmy Carter Blvd./I-85 interchanges. The diverging diamond layout is very unique, being employed in only a couple of locations in the country, and carries a "freak-out factor" due to cars driving on the "wrong side" of the road.

The design allows right turns onto an on-ramp well before the overpass, but the remainder of the traffic then diverts into the left lanes at a signal light at the overpass entrance. By driving on the "wrong side" of the overpass, drivers can make an unimpeded left turn onto the freeway ramp. After vehicles cross the overpass, another signal light allows them to cross back over to the right lanes.

The projects are being spearheaded by the respective Community Improvement Districts and are still in the planning stages. If approved, a bulk of the reconfiguration would be paid for with SPLOST funds.

Input sought for top-end Perimeter traffic solution

The top-end Perimeter is not a Gwinnett County issue, per se, but many Gwinnettians travel this incredibly congested area daily so I wanted to post this tidbit that I received today from revive285.  I worked in the Perimeter Mall area for nearly nine years until fall 2008 and I can attest to the horrendous state of traffic!

Is There an Alternative to I-285 Traffic?

We all know that travel conditions on I-285’s top end are a serious problem that must be addressed. But how do we fix the problem? Express buses? Light rail? More lanes? Toll lanes?

In 2006, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority launched revive285 top end, an initiative to develop a transportation solution for the northern I-285 corridor between I-75 and I-85. The project team, with public input, has since developed eight transportation solutions or “alternatives” to address the I-285 top end problems.

In November 2009, these alternatives were presented at a series of public information open houses. The project team is now seeking further public input. If you live, work or play on this corridor, this is your opportunity to help determine which of the eight alternatives should move forward, be modified, or be discarded. You can make a difference.

Go online now to www.revive285.com to: watch the alternatives video, compare the alternatives with the interactive mapping tool, learn more about the revive285 project and provide valuable feedback via comment, survey or message board. Or, you can contact the project hotline directly at 770-431-7445.

Now boarding Lawrenceville to Hartsfield at Gate 1

Confused?  Well, Gwinnett is getting air service from Briscoe Field in Lawrenceville to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.  Yes, you read that right - Lawrenceville to Hartsfield.  Lawrenceville-based Wings Air begins the air shuttle service on February 1.  However, before you start dreaming of never waiting in the security line at Hartsfield again, there are a couple of catches.  First, Briscoe Field does not yet have TSA screening, so you will have to reclear security once at Hartsfield.  Second, the cost - $79 one way.  Wings is working on the first gotcha.  The second?  Well that is your call whether your time is worth $160 roundtrip.  Of course, this is why Wings is targeting the business traveler:

But the customer base isn’t mom, dad and junior off to see grandma, Mintz said.

“These are businessmen who are trying to catch early morning flights out of Hartsfield,” [Wings Air President Charlie Mintz] said. “They don’t want to get up at 3 or 4 a.m. to catch a 9 a.m. flight. They don’t want to sit through two hours of traffic which is entirely unpredictable.

So the next time you have an early flight out of Atlanta, you might want to check out Wings Air and fly over morning rush hour traffic!

 

"Lexus Lanes" coming to Gwinnett

With Thanksgiving and the end of the college football regular season (which, I am happy to note, included a brilliant defeat of the Georgia Bulldogs by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets!) in my rearview mirror, I want to get caught up on Gwinnett news dating back to early last week.

Gwinnett's HOV lanes on I-85 are to be converted to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes under a federal government grant announced last week.  Single and double-occupancy vehicles would pay a toll based on time of day to use the lanes:

The price of the tolls would rise and fall with the traffic congestion in the main lanes, higher tolls when traffic is heavy, lower tolls when traffic is light. To assess the toll, cars probably would be outfitted with transponders and the toll would be levied by electronic sensors with no stopping for toll booths.

I have mixed feelings on this.  I do not have a problem with opening these lanes up to single-passenger vehicles.  I have long felt it unfair that the gas tax dollars of solo drivers went to pay for lanes which these drivers were prohibited from using.  However, I am not comfortable with the idea that lanes financed with everyone's tax money would become toll lanes.  If these lanes had been financed with the proceeds of the toll such as was the case of GA 400 between I-285 and I-85, that would be fine.

Another point from the article concerns me just as much, if not more:

The main idea is to push enough people off the HOV lane to guarantee at least one lane on the highway where traffic can flow freely.

Recall, double-occupancy vehicles appear poised to lose the right to drive in the HOV lane at no cost.  When a large number of the current users are pushed out of the lane, where do they go?  Into the already congested lanes to the right, that's where.  If the one dollar per mile peak charge comes to pass, I question if enough drivers would be willing to pay such an exorbitant toll to balance the number of cars coming from the HOV lanes with paying cars going to the HOT lanes.  Could the net effect, during peak rush hour, be a greater congestion in the "free" lanes?  Boy, this sounds like an absolutely brilliant plan to address I-85's choking traffic in Gwinnett!

HOT lanes seem like a solution in search of a problem.  We are being told this system would guarantee one free flowing lane of traffic, though I typically see the current HOV lanes flowing fairly well now.  True, this program would give access to this uncongested lane to solo drivers who are currently shut out of HOV lanes, but the effect of the high toll on "regular" drivers bothers me.

I am not one that finds a class warfare angle on any story that touches on individual wealth nor do I engage in wealth envy.  However, as I noted, the taxes of all drivers helped pay for these lanes and now there is a move afoot to turn them over, at the times of day when they are needed most, to those select few that can afford an outrageous rate of one dollar per mile.  Something seems a litte off kilter with that.  I would be much more supportive of this program if the tolls were used to pay for the addition of an HOT lane on I-85.

Rain delays completion of I-85/GA 316 interchange

Due to rainy weather Thursday and Friday, the final road surfacing for the I-85/GA 316 interchange is now slated for completion Monday afternoon.

I-85/GA 316 interchange officially complete on Saturday

For three years Gwinnett residents have negotiated construction of the new I-85/GA 316 interchange, but Saturday morning the project will be officially completed.  The interchange has made a marked improvement in westbound traffic on GA 316 during morning rush hour.  I had long since stopped going this way due to backups on GA 316, sometimes as far back as Sugarloaf Parkway.  However, with the new interchange motorists can usually travel at highway speed until getting to I-85.  As such, I have begun to use this route when going to work a little more often now.

Before closing, this anecdote in the article demands a brief comment:

"I’ve gotten some really ugly emails about that traffic signal on Saturdays — the one at Ga. 20 — saying ‘You all are Georgia Tech engineers, and just don’t want us to get to the stadium.’”

TERI POPE, Georgia DOT spokeswoman

What a laughable idea.  Tech engineers are the best of breed and would never risk their professional reputation for such a silly reason.  And as  a Tech alumnus and Lawrenceville native, I am very glad of this.  I would not want to have anything that keeps UGA fans in Lawrenceville any longer than absolutely necessary!  Go Jackets!

Glenn Pirkle endorses Lorraine Green

Unfortunately, Glenn Pirkle has decided to endorse Lorraine Green.  I do not know what Green told him during their recent meeting, but he appreantly believes that she is the better choice to achieve his objectives for Gwinnett.  I hope his supporters will further consider their runoff vote, however, and not simply follow Mr. Pirkle's suggestion.

Reading thorugh Pirkle's website, I tend to agree with many of the views he expresses.  He is obviously not a fan of big government.  In response to the socialized garbage program that the current commission is foisting upon Gwinnett residents, he asks "Is the next step to tell the people of Gwinnett County where they will buy groceries and gas?"  If his supporters have a similar limited government viewpoint, Lorraine Green is absolutely the wrong choice for them in the runoff.  Even if they are not completely sold on Charles Bannister, the incumbent chairman offers a much better chance to limit the reach of government and, as such, deserves the votes of Pirkle backers.

I would like to say I agree with Pirkle's observation about parents dropping kids off at school and the traffic that engenders.  This was not really an issue for the Board of Commissioner, but I would like to see someone push the school board on this matter.  I am not sure a fee is feasible or even legal, but there should be some way to encourage greater usage of the transportation services that the school system makes available.

Ramp meters coming to I-85 in Gwinnett

Ramp meters on ramps to I-85 in Gwinnett go into operation next week.  GDOT tells us that the meters are to "relieve congestion."  I am not convinced that they do not simply shift congestion to the surface streets, but time will tell.  Mark McKinnon of the DOT says the ramp meters "keep traffic 'free-flowing.'"  So a few traffic lights on on-ramps have been all we have needed for years to solve our traffic problems on I-85?  I guess that money being spend on the new collector/distributor lanes north of Pleasant Hill Rd. would have been better utilized for a few traffic lights and a huge stock of replacement bulbs!

Seriously though, I don't think we will be able to get any real guage on the effectiveness of these new traffic control devices until school return to session next month and traffic congestion returns to its normal, non-summer levels.  I know my average commute time this summer is down approximately 15%.

Gwinnett rail? Yes. MARTA? No.

MARTA is holding a series of community meetings in Gwinnett this week.  The goal is to convince Gwinnett residents to show their support on a ballot question in next month's primary regarding extending rail service to Gwinnett Place.  While a metro area as large as Atlanta should have both a more extensive subway/metro system as well as commuter rail, MARTA is not the answer for Gwinnett.

MARTA rail was very exciting when it began service 29 years ago this week.  I remember taking special trips as a child both with my family and with a day care center to ride the "MARTA train."  MARTA rail elevated a then not-so-international Atlanta to the same tier as New York; I remember great pride thinking that our city had a subway!  However, in the last three decades, the rail system has not grown with Atlanta.  There are still the same basic North-South and East-West lines that have been largely in place for nearly 20 years.  Granted, the ability of the system to truly match the breadth of the entire metro area has been stunted both by being limited to Dekalb and Fulton counties as well as by attitudes in years past that did not recognize a large need for rail service.

Those times have changed with the metro area's enormous growth.  Rail is a crucial component to addressing the transportation challenges Gwinnett and Atlanta faces in the coming years, but I must ask, is MARTA the best option?  If MARTA had proactively extended its service via additional rail, light rail and other innovative solutions during the last 20 years within the counties where they do operate, I would be more open to extending their rail lines to Gwinnett.  I think Lorraine Green made a very valid point in the candidates forum last week when she talked about needing to take on responsibility for our transportation future and not depend on the state.  While MARTA is not the state, I think the sentiment applies here as well.  Gwinnett will be better served managing our own rail service rather than relying on MARTA.

A key to the success of rail in Gwinnett is interconnectivity to the MARTA system.  Obviously, extension of the MARTA system would allow for this.  However, the article notes a proposed multi-modal center for Norcross but several Google searches could not find details on this proposal.  The MARTA plan is to extend heavy rail to this center and then run the more-cost-effective light rail on to Gwinnett Place.  To foster the needed connectivity, extension of the MARTA Doraville line to such a transit center would be advised.  However, any light rail radiating out from there could potentially be operated by Gwinnett transit.  (Incidentally, Bruce LeVell has been very involved in transit planning as a member of the MARTA Board of Directors, experience which further enhances his attractiveness as the new District 1 Commissioner.)

Future transportation planning for Gwinnett and metro Atlanta is far too complex for a simple blog post.  The time for rail in Gwinnett has come, but the question remains as to who will operate it.  MARTA?  Gwinnett?  Perhaps even a comprehensive metropolitan or state transportation authority?  I don't think MARTA is the answer.  I recommend that we actively support rail planning but that we vote no on MARTA.

Thoughts on Conservative Republican Women candidates forum

Monday night, I attended the Conservative Republican Women's candidates forum at GJAC in Lawrenceville. All candidates vying for seats on the Gwinnett County Commission were present. I don't want to talk here about the District 3 race between Mike Beaudreau and Doug Stacks because Mike's comments alone warrant a separate post. For the other races, my observations were much the same as I had at the Gwinnett CID forum held last month, thus I am not going to outline their specific comments in great detail.

In the District 1 race, I was again not blown away by any candidate, but Bruce LeVell was again the most articulate and passionate of the three candidates. LeVell continued his emphasis on cleaning up crime in District 1 and bringing more public transit choices to Gwinnett. I do have some reservations about his support of an ordinance to close bars and clubs at a certain time mainly due to my libertarian streak. However, at the same time, I see a lot of rationale for such an ordinance as I agree that there is little redeeming value for the community at a bar or club at 2A. I do agree that the strain on county law enforcement of having to police fights and other mischief at these establishments in the wee hours is a legitimate public policy concern. As for Shirley Lasseter, she still comes across to me as your wacky aunt who now has a cause about which she talks your ear off. Shirley's current cause is a federal detention center for illegal immigrants. While I do see some merit in her position, I found it odd that, in response to a question about what one ordinance she would enact to improve quality of life in Gwinnett, she supported an ordinance to bring the detention to Gwinnett. I did not realize the federal government needed an ordinance from the Board of Commissioners to locate a detention facility here. When I listen to Shirley, I just do not see someone who comes across as qualified to be on the board of a major county such as Gwinnett. However, while I have not seen any polling data, I suspect that her name recognition from the Runaway Bride fiasco will allow her to carry District 1, though I am hoping that Bruce LeVell can prove me wrong.

The Chairman's race is very perplexing to me.  I thought I was solidly behind Charles Bannister and completely opposed to Lorraine Green.  I still feel her record as a commissioner has been poor, but I have to admit that she is the most articulate of any of the candidates running for the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners.  Her answers were clear, well-stated, and passionate.  Charles Bannister, however, seemed to stumble through the majority of his answers.  At one point, he even told the citizens of Gwinnett to "trust" him that the "socialized garbage" program will work out.  Green advocated a rollback of the county portion of the property tax to be replaced by a 1% sales tax.  She noted that such an initiative would force even the illegal immigrants in Gwinnett to contribute to government funding.  She linked this idea to her general advocacy of making living in Gwinnett uncomfortable for illegals, a policy I wholeheartedly support.  I found myself thinking that, due to district courtesy, she would be less harmful to individual zoning and permit requests as chairman but would be in a position to champion the positions she outlined at the forum.  Where I still have pause is her record as District 1 commissioner.  I still perceive her as being too beholden to homeowners and too opposed to growth and progress.  She stated that she was a not a developer, a Realtor or a contractor, as if these professions were on par with running an adult bookstore or a strip club.   Also, Bannister claims that her ideas are just ripped off from him, thereby raising the question, is Lorraine really invested in these ideas or do they simply sound good during an election campaign?  These considerations caused Bannister's warning that "what you hear may not be what you see" to resonate with me.  I found myself thinking about former Sen. Zell Miller's comments about Sen. John Kerry at the 2004 Republican National Convention when he said "Twenty years of votes can tell you much more about a man than twenty weeks of campaign rhetoric."  At the end of the day, Green's record has not changed and, for that reason, I cannot support her quite yet.  However, I am more willing to reconsider my support in this race over the coming month.  I wound up leaving with a Bannister yard sign that I have in my front yard right now.  However, I cannot guarantee that it will remain there until July 15.  The Doug Stacks sign beside it, however, might as well be cemented in the ground, because I cannot fathom a scenario that would change my mind on Mike Beaudreau.  However, that is a separate post entirely.