MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Georgia Military College will taking the next step in protecting their student pedestrians after implementing their "Keep Our Students Safe" Campaign last fall.
The campaign put more police presence on South Elbert Street where the school said they saw 74 accidents between 2013 and August of 2018.
"That was kind of our temporary act that we could kind of do in the meantime until we could find something more permanent," said Jobie Shields, public affairs coordinator for GMC.
The more permanent solution will be a road diet plan. The college is putting up their own funds to slim the roadway from four lanes to two. They'll introduce striping and spring posts to slow motorists down and change driver behavior on South Elbert.
"In order to do that, you have to show them something different," Shields said. "So what we've done is that we've tried to design it in a way that it causes people to slow down and be like, 'What is this? I haven't seen this before.'"
The plan was approved by Milledgeville City Council, who will also help the college by clearing out obstructions in the city's right of way, like trees. City councilman Walter Reynolds approved of the move, but other councilmen suggested that the road diet could cause traffic congestion.
A proposal for a skybridge was brought up, but could cost anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million to put in place.
"But then the idea to use striping instead, which would require a lot less concrete and thus make this a less permanent addition to the street," Reynolds said. "If we do not do something in this intersection, it appears to me that it would only be a matter of time before we do end up with a fatality."
GMC will be required to remove other sight obstructions from the right of way and adjust their parking lots along South Elbert Street to include more right only turns.
Shields said the college plans to put construction bids in place and hopes to begin construction by June and complete it by the next school year.