Update From
Tybee’s Mayor
By Mayor Jason Buelterman
As we get into the warmer months, we are all increasingly affected
by traffic issues on Highway 80. It seems that almost every weekend
there is a wreck and/or major traffic congestion on Highway 80.
Therefore, I thought this would be a good time to provide an update on
efforts to remedy those issues.
I had the opportunity to meet with the Commissioner for the Georgia
Department of Transportation (GDOT) a few weeks ago to discuss this
issue and learned a lot from this meeting. GDOT continues to plan for
the replacement of the two bridges (Lazaretto Creek and Bull River)
and the widening of the causeway between the bridges. In September,
GDOT will hold an open house to obtain more public input on the plans.
After this meeting, the final environmental impact documentation will
be sent to the federal government. If the feds approve, they will issue
a “Finding of No Significant Impact” or “FONSI.” At that point, $90.3
million must be budgeted to fund the project. We have been working
on this for years and are hopeful that we can get these funds allocated.
Ultimately, the project as proposed is not what I had hoped for (a four
lane solution), but it is a big improvement over what we have now.
The plans call for two new bridges to be built adjacent to the existing
bridges. The current traffic flow pattern is supposed to be maintained
during construction. The new Bull River Bridge is projected to be built
just to the south of the existing bridge (between the current bridge
and the big Bull River condo building). The Lazaretto Creek Bridge is
projected to be built just to the north of the existing bridge. Both new
bridges will have one lane of traffic in each direction, emergency lanes
on both sides and a segregated bike/pedestrian path (on the north side
of each bridge). The causeway will, as currently planned, maintain its
current traffic pattern (one lane in each direction with passing lanes
on portions of the causeway). I asked that a median be added to the
bridges to avoid head-on collisions and that consideration be given to
addressing the way the passing lanes are currently set up. What we
have now are backwards passing lanes. In other words, if you want to
pass someone headed off of the island, you can’t pass until near the
end of the causeway and vice versa. It makes no sense.
In a perfect world, in my opinion, we would have two long bridges,
each with two lanes, connecting Tybee to Wilmington - one of which
would include a 10 foot wide segregated area for people to ride bikes,
walk, jog, fish, etc. It would be safer, minimize environmental impacts
and be good for the purposes of recreation. I have fought for that very
hard but the bottom line is there is not enough money to pay for it.
The costs would be twice or possibly even three times as high as the
proposed project.
For now, my focus is on getting the proposed project funded. In my
column in July, I will provide information about who you can contact to
assist in this process.
Relative to interim improvements, the causeway will be paved
between Labor Day and November 1 of 2018. It will be raised up to 8
inches in some of the lower spots to avoid flooding closures. Also, GDOT
plans to install message boards just east of the Lazaretto Creek Bridge
and about a mile west of the Bull River Bridge with up-to-the-minute
traffic information. The messages on the signs will be monitored and
updated by GDOT’s centralized traffic monitoring facility in Atlanta. The
staff at this facility also are responsible for signage on our Interstate
10 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JUNE 2018
highways. There are a lot of these signs in the Atlanta area. I am told
these will be installed before the end of 2018.
Finally, with the reformation of the Chatham County Police
Department, we are working to increase the presence of officers on this
stretch of road. The entire causeway west of the Lazaretto Creek Bridge
is unincorporated Chatham County, which means it is the County Police
Department’s responsibility to patrol. Prior to the break-up of the Metro
Department, it was Metro Police’s responsibility. The Governor recently
signed into law a ban on the use of cell/smart phones while operating
a vehicle. We have asked the new Metro Police Chief how his team will
enforce this new law on Highway 80 in light of the fact that statistics
show more accidents are caused by distracted driving than by alcohol/
drug impairment.
I hope that the information above helps explain what is being done
to address safety issues on 80. This is an exceptionally frustrating
issue because it significantly affects Tybee residents, yet developing
solutions is out of Tybee’s direct control. It is a state and federal
highway on federally-owned property (the National Parks System owns
the land that the causeway sits on) and is in county jurisdiction. To
add to the complexity, it is surrounded by state and federally managed
marshland, near Civil War-ea historically significant areas and affected
by federally impacted navigable waterways.
I hope this helped provide some insight into the status of improvements
on 80.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can
be reached on my cell at 912.844.8427 or via email at jbuelterman@
cityoftybee.org.
What’s Good for you Doesn’t
Mean it’s Good for Me
By Rem
As spring is in full swing and with summer upon us, those of us that
have been procrastinating (nothing new here) are stressing on slimming
down for swimsuit season. Or not. We only have three short weeks
before it’s officially summer, and while we may be starving ourselves to
look our best, our lawn, outdoor plants
and houseplants are feeling quite the
opposite. While we should have been in
the gym since winter, we also should
have been feeding our lawn and plants
since early spring. The bad news is
it’s a little too late to shrink your ass
in three weeks but you go, give it your
best shot! The good news is, for your
lawn and plants, it’s never too late to
make a dramatic visual difference in a
short amount of time.
There are currently so many fertilizers
available to choose from that we find ourselves at the store staring
at all the bags and bottles wondering which ones we need. It can be
confusing with all the different nutrient numbers and chemical or
organic options but with a few key pieces of information it can be
somewhat less daunting of a task.