MACON, Ga. — If you've driven through Macon lately, you might have noticed the bustling traffic on its roads, reflecting the city’s population growth over the years.
Among the busy streets, Ridge Avenue is one of the local hot spots raising concerns over the years.
Locals often cut through the street home to hundreds of residents; it's parallel to the popular Vineville Avenue.
Some residents have grown increasingly frustrated with the road's condition and traffic patterns.
Mark Davenport is a long-time Ridge Avenue resident, shared his perspective on the changes he's witnessed over two decades.
"When we moved here, the road was pretty rough," said Davenport. "They've resurfaced it occasionally, but I think it's due again. You can see it—it’s rough."
Recently, stop signs were installed on Ridge Avenue to curb speeding and deter cut-through traffic.
While Davenport appreciates the effort, he admits the measures came as a surprise
"I wasn’t aware of any meetings or plans about the stop signs," he said. "But they’ve definitely slowed people down, even if those cutting through don’t like it."
Despite these changes, Davenport feels more needs to be done, particularly in resurfacing the road to address its worn state. "They just resurfaced Ingleside, so I think we’re next in line," he said hopefully. "I pay enough taxes; it’s time to invest in our neighborhood."
Spokesperson Chris Floore said the Macon-Bibb County Public Works Department completed a comprehensive review of all county roads a few years ago.
Roads were rated based on their condition, with funding allocated to repair the worst cases. Floore explained Ridge Avenue did not rank high enough in severity to warrant resurfacing at that time.
However, another review is planned soon to reassess roadway conditions, Floore said.
Residents can also report specific issues directly to the city through the SeeClickFix platform, a tool designed to address local concerns.
You can read Floore's full statement at the bottom of this article.
Are any roads around Central Georgia driving you crazy? Email us at news@13wmaz.com. We might look into your issue next.
"There are currently about 1,100 centerline miles of county-maintained roads.
Macon-Bibb hired a company to study every one of those miles and rate them from 1 (best) to 5 (worst) based on potholes, cracks, structural integrity, and other signs of damage and deterioration. The Mayor & Commission allocated 5x more funds than was available in the past to focus on the worst roads, those rated 4 and 5.
We are now preparing to do another study of all the roads since the last study is now a couple years old.
Some of roads that have been repaved/restriped and had reflector replacement include:
- Belmont Avenue
- Atwood Circle
- Columbus Road
- Ann Place
- Atwood Drive
- Hawkins Place
- Evers Place
- Sorrell Drive and Sandy Drive
- Carriage Way area, off of Rivoli Drive, to include Saddle Run Court, Carriage lakes Court and Derby Lane
- Forest Hill Road from Rogers Road to Wimbish Road
- Hollingsworth Road from Mumford Road to Log Cabin Drive
- Morgan Drive from Napier Avenue east to Austin Avenue
- Willow Lane
- Franklin Street Lane
- Casablanca Drive
- Weaver Road
- Hubbard Road
- Vine Street from Napier Avenue to Lawton Avenue
- Napier Avenue where it connects to Vine Street
- Ell Street from Houston Avenue to Chappell Street
- Plant Street at Little Richard Penniman Boulevard
- Hunnicut Road off of Fulton Mill Road
- Lower Thomaston Road
- Appling Court near Shurling Drive and Eastview Avenue
- Dennis Court near Shurling Drive and Eastview Avenue
- Kevin Drive from Millerfield Road to Shady Road Plaza
- Old Clinton Road from Wood Valley Road to Ben Hill Drive
- Gwinnett Drive.
Other roads that have had repaving, restriping, or patch work include: Jeffersonville Road, Masseyville Road, Recreation Road, Riggins Mill Road, Rogers Road, Skipper Road, Seventh Street, South Walden Road, Duffey Drive, Castlegate Road, Hillcrest Avenue, Masseyville Road, Rocky Creek Road, and Lawrence Drive South.
Sections of Ridge Avenue only rated between 2.22 and 3.07, but if there are specific issues to be handled (like potholes), they can be requested through SeeClickFix."
- Chris Floore, Macon-Bibb County Chief Communications Officer