New roundabout, sidewalks near local university could be funded with Macon-Bibb money

Major additions are coming to the Middle Georgia State University campus with Macon-Bibb County possibly paying for some nearby infrastructure improvements.

The county government may spend $2.5 million of special sales tax revenue to build a roundabout to go with a new main entrance into the campus, install new sidewalks and make other pedestrian safety measures near the university. The improvements would tie into the building of a new Middle Georgia State enrollment services center and residential housing for 300-plus students, university officials said.

The traffic circle would be situated along Romeiser Drive while the sidewalks would be installed on Ivey Drive. Other traffic calming devices such as crosswalks would also be part of the project.

The final vote on the Macon-Bibb resolution is scheduled for next week after it was approved Tuesday by a County Commission committee.

“We’re not talking about just a roundabout,” said Albert Abrams, special assistant for community relations for MGSU. “There will be road improvements, the relocation of a road (University Parkway); so all of that is involved in this project.”

The changes are designed to improve safety near the campus located off the busy Eisenhower Parkway corridor. More than 18,000 vehicles travel by the university each day, the resolution said.

The school has also spent about $3.5 million to acquire property for the project, said David Sims, assistant vice-president of facilities for MGSU.

“We’re on a fast track right now for a $18.8 million housing project … which will add more students to our Macon campus,” he said. “Right now, there are over 4,000 students in Macon that we’re trying to get across Eisenhower Parkway safely every day.”

The beautification of Eisenhower Parkway has been one of the goals of the Eisenhower Business Improvement District, which uses some commercial property tax dollars to reinvest back into the west Macon area.

The upgrades around the MGSU campus fit well into the other efforts taking place along the corridor, said Commissioners Al Tillman and Joe Allen, who represent the section of west Macon that covers Macon Mall to past the university’s main campus.

“What (MGSU officials) asked for is ... let’s (improve) the college and take it to its next level,” Allen said.