In a big win for traffic safety advocates, the commission has approved a staff-recommended plan to “reimagine” North Avenue using a $25 million federal RAISE grant. The plan includes a multiuse path to improve pedestrian and bike safety and it will narrow North Avenue to four lanes to slow traffic heading into downtown, among other safety improvements.
This Biden-era grant was left for dead last year when ACC staff were running up against a hard reimbursement deadline and commissioners didn’t want to start the project late and risk not being paid back. There seemed to be no choice but to abandon the grant when earlier this year, the Republican-controlled US Congress unexpectedly came through with a five-year grant extension.
Five years is still not a lot of time for a project this large, so ACC staff are recommending their original four-lane option instead of the five-lane plan selected by commissioners in 2024. Five lanes would take significantly longer because any sidewalk improvements would cause a five-lane North Avenue to widen beyond its current footprint. That would result in long construction delays as slivers of land were acquired along the entire stretch from many different property owners. ACC staff believe a five-lane option might also trigger a lengthy environmental review.
Aaron Redman, a member of the Athens in Motion Commission, spoke during public comment to urge ACC Commissioners to support the four-lane option, saying that North Avenue’s current design “encourages excessive [traffic] speeds” and “has contributed to multiple severe and fatal crashes over the years.”
Redman cited two drivers who had been killed in the past six months alone. According to Redman, police did not find any evidence to indicate that drugs or alcohol were involved. “It’s speed and roadway design that are the major culprits here,” he said.
After Redman and other safety advocates spoke in favor, Commissioner Melissa Link motioned to support the four-lane concept, saying that it would save lives.
“It’s imperative that we fix this corridor and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do that,” Link said.
Nevertheless, Commissioner Ovita Thornton made a counter-proposal to keep North Avenue at five lanes. After a delay, Commissioner John Culpepper seconded her motion, wondering why the vote was even necessary since the commission had already chosen the five-lane option in 2024.
While Culpepper is essentially right that the decision had already been made, commission opinion about this project has changed significantly over the last year, as has the strength of community opposition.
In 2024, public comment right before the vote was overwhelmingly against the four lane option. Although most who gave their opinion in surveys voiced a preference for a safer North Avenue, the grant became a sensitive political issue with strong feelings on both sides. Thornton herself had called the grant “a deal with the Devil,” further inflaming tensions.
By contrast, most people who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting were in favor of the four-lane plan, although community advocate Tawana Mattox did call for a “pause” on accepting the grant concept so more public input could be gathered.
Thornton’s motion to keep North Avenue at five lanes failed 3-6, with Commissioner Tiffany Taylor joining Thornton and Culpepper in support. Commissioner Stephanie Johnson was absent.
Attention then returned to the four-lane plan. Unlike in 2024 when it gained the support of only one commissioner, the plan for a safer North Avenue passed 8-1 with Taylor as the only opposition.
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