No Left Turns coming at highway 20 intersection

Georgia DOT is presenting accepting construction bids to widen highway 20 in McDonough. As part of the upcoming road work, the state will be changing the layout of state route 20 at Old Industrial Blvd to improve traffic flow.

Engineering and design work for the diverging diamond interchange identified the Old Industrial Blvd signal as a bottleneck. The changes when complete will improve efficiency of both highway 20 and the new DDI.

State Route 20 at Old Industrial Blvd

The new intersection will prohibit left hand turns from the side streets: Old Industrial Blvd or the Walmart access road. In addition, traffic from side streets will not be able to drive straight across the intersection. Motorists will only have the option to turn right onto highway 20. The traffic signal will remain, but Georgia 20 can have longer green times thanks to the changes.

The changes are what’s known as a signalized Restricted Crossing U-turn (R-Cut). Several R-Cut intersections are on highway 20 between I-75 and Hampton.

The final lane configuration will have one right-hand turn lane from either side street onto state route 20. Highway 20 eastbound will retain the existing dual left-hand turn lanes towards Walmart.

Other Intersections

The widening project will include changes to several surrounding intersections as well. This will support the increased traffic flow when motorists are no longer able to turn left or go straight at Old Industrial Blvd.

Chiefly, the intersection of state route 20 and Willow Lane will have new turn lanes. Specifically, both northbound and southbound approaches will have dual left-hand turn lanes. Willow Lane will also have a new traffic light at the Walmart access road beside Lowes.

Back at state route 20 and Old Industrial Blvd, the contractor will install new striping to reflect only one lane going southbound out of Walmart and Lowes. Plus, this will allow two northbound lanes to continue off state route 20 up towards Lowes. Presently, motorists must merge beside the Arby’s.

Finally, Industrial Blvd at Old Industrial Blvd will see changes south of highway 20. Motorists on Old Industrial Blvd will only be able to turn right onto Industrial Blvd.

Georgia DOT is accepting construction bids to widen highway 20 through September 16. The state typically announces a few weeks later whether they award a contract.

Featured image shows highway 20 signs plan at Old Industrial Blvd. Photo credit Georgia DOT.