MACON, Ga. — Beulah Baptist Church sits in the dip of Broadway where road repairs were completed in early 2024. Though the road is improved, some say issues with unsafe sidewalks, flooding and potholes still make the road difficult to navigate.
Timothy French is the pastor of Beulah Baptist.
"From Broadway to Martin Luther King is driving me crazy!" he said.
His congregation is concerned about getting in and out of the church's parking lot safely.
The church has two parking lots on either side of the building. French says they're tight spots where it's difficult to pull out.
"I'm afraid of the traffic, people driving fast," French said. "A lot of them have problems when there's a pole there when it's raining."
He's driven down Broadway for the past 22 years. Over time, he's noticed problems that need solutions.
Since the church sits in the dip of the road, it faces serious flooding issues when it rains. There also aren't safe routes for pedestrians to use.
"They need to correct the sidewalks, they're crumbling falling apart and need to be corrected," French said.
Pesky potholes and unevenly paved roads also make the area difficult for drivers.
"The pavement's given away," French said.
He says drivers have to use extra caution alongside cars traveling in the same direction because of the uneven pavement, otherwise, they risk accidents.
"If you're not careful, your vehicle can hydroplane or hit a bump and get into another lane," French said. "That's when it causes accidents."
It's a problem he knows all too well.
"As a matter of fact, years ago, I had an accident coming into church, right there," French said pointing to the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Broadway. "My vehicle hydroplaned coming to church. I hit a pole there because it just hydroplaned coming to church."
On the edge of Downtown Macon, Broadway and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard are state roads.
13WMAZ reached out to the Georgia Department of Transportation about French's concerns.
In a statement, spokesperson Gina Snider said any sidewalk maintenance falls under the local government.
The Macon-Bibb Public Works Department arranged a crew to clear the sidewalks near Houston Avenue within a couple of days of our inquiry.
As for the pavement problems, Snider wrote: "Drivers must avoid leaning too far to the right, or right up against the sidewalks because they could potentially lose control of their vehicle. However, we will assess the location and address accordingly. GDOT will address the potholes."
Are any roads around Central Georgia driving you crazy? You can contact us at news@13wmaz.com.