Traffic light coming to busy Houston intersection

A traffic signal is coming to a busy intersection that has become more dangerous with the opening of Ga. 96.

A signal will be put at the intersection of Lake Joy Road and Cohen Walker Drive, just south of Ga. 96. Houston County Operations Director Robbie Dunbar said a preliminary plan for the signal has been completed and he expects the project to be put out for bids soon.

Construction is expected to take three months. Dunbar said the hope is to have it completed before the start of the next school year. The intersection is close to Houston County High School, David Perdue Elementary School, Freedom Field and Central Georgia Technical College.

Molly Walker, owner of Acoustical Floors located at one corner of the intersection, had a quick response when she was told a traffic signal had been approved.

“Hallelujah,” she said. “We’ve been calling and asking for a light there.”

She said one of her employees had a wreck at the intersection two weeks ago and three cars were totalled, but no one was hurt.

“We’ve all made a point of not going across it,” she said. “People are flying down that road.”

Dunbar said the need for a light there became more urgent with the widening of Ga. 96. That project included widening Lake Joy Road from two lanes to four down to Cohen Walker. Once the Ga. 96 widening opened Dec. 5, all four lanes of Lake Joy Road opened.

“We’ve had several accidents since the Ga. 96 project opened,” Dunbar said.

Houston County Commissioner Tom McMichael at the Feb. 7 commission meeting voiced his support for a traffic signal at the intersection.

“I saw one accident occur right there,” he said. “That is a dangerous place. We definitely need a traffic light there ASAP.”

The light is expected to cost $75,000 to $100,000.

This story was originally published February 16, 2017 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Traffic light coming to busy Houston intersection."