District 4 Columbia County Commissioner Alison Couch attended the Harlem City Council’s monthly meeting, Monday evening, to present a quarterly update on county matters.
Repaving projects for Harlem Grovetown Road and Fairview Drive are both slated for this year, Couch told the councilmembers, with the latter scheduled for “late summertime.”
The county is considering installing right turn lanes at the intersection of Louisville and Wrightsboro roads, she said, close to the location of a Dollar General store—to address heavy morning traffic in the area, especially toward Euchee Creek Elementary School.
Discussions continue regarding the Clary Cut Road/Old Union Road Alignment, a Transportation Investment Act project that would entail the installation of a roundabout on U.S. Route 221.
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“I’ve been presented with a couple of drafts, but nothing to bring back to the city yet,” Couch told the council. “ We’ll keep an eye on that. We hope to get that moved up a tier, which will allow for that to happen quicker than was originally planned.”
Responding to a question from Councilmember John Thigpen about safety concerns at the intersection of Harlem Grovetown Road and Old Louisville Road, Couch said that the county had pulled data on accidents at the site.
The county agreed that safety is an issue at the intersection, and is preparing to present ideas on how to address it, said Couch, “whether it be straightening that out at some point, [installing rumble strips] or an actual red light instead of just a caution light.”
The council would later vote to agree to enter an intergovernmental agreement with the county for the delivery of the Clary Cut Road/Old Union Road project.
The council also voted approve amendments to the budget, including for the American Rescue Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (ARP-SLFRF) monies, for community development, the police department and the Harlem Museum.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
