Lower Woolsey traffic study available

Map showing location of Lower Woolsey Henry 780 LLC
Property owned by Lower Woolsey Henry 780 LLC is outlined in red. (Henry County photo)

The Henry County BOC approved the rezoning request in November 2018.

Lower Woolsey Henry 780 LLC is a proposed rezoning of 683 acres to M-1 (light manufacturing). Moving Henry Forward has been reporting on this request since June.

Given the size of the request, a development of regional impact review is ongoing by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and Atlanta Regional Commission. The traffic study was recently published by ARC for public view.

The project is estimated to generate 8,862 new daily vehicle trips. 32.2% of the trips, or 2,854 trips, are expected to be truck traffic. The remaining 67.8%, or 6,008 trips, are predicted as passenger cars.

Three intersection improvements are recommended to accommodate background traffic growth. The study places responsibility for the improvements onto the corresponding local government since the work will eventually be needed regardless of the proposed development.

Location Improvement Estimated Cost Project Sponsor
US 19 / 41 at Speedway Blvd Signalize intersection $750,000 Henry County
US 19 / 41 at Lower Woolsey Road Signalize intersection $750,000 Henry County
SR 92 at Hampton Road Construct right-turn lane on WB approach $225,000 Fayette County

The intersection improvements along US 19 / 41 will require Georgia DOT approval before implementing. Funding from SPLOST V could be one option to complete the projects.

The traffic study recommends three additional improvements to be funded by the developer.

Location Improvement Estimated Cost Project Sponsor
Northern Site Access Two Way Stop Control at intersection Unknown Developer
Southern Site Access TWSC at intersection, right-turn lane on SB approach, and right-turn lane on WB approach Unknown Developer
Wilkins Road Pave road from existing pavement to northern site access $800,000 Developer

The study did not evaluate any intersections further east than SR 20 at Hampton-Locust Grove Road. State route 20 between Hampton-Locust Grove Road and Westridge Parkway was excluded because the project does not add enough new volume along this roadway segment to warrant review.

The traffic study considers the existing two-lane Lower Woolsey Road adequate to handle the increased volume without a need for four lanes. The study does not mention rebuilding the roadway to support the increased weight from freight traffic or to improve existing tight curves. These concerns should be addressed by the Henry County Board of Commissioners within zoning conditions.

The zoning advisory board recommended approval of the applicant’s request in July. The public hearing before the BOC has not been scheduled.

The full traffic study (191 pages) is available on the Atlanta Regional Commission website.

About Clayton 1738 Articles
Clayton Carte is the founder and owner of The Henry Reporter. He founded the site in 2017 to highlight transportation projects. Over time, he began covering other topics like new development so residents can best know what’s happening in our community.

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