Visibility

In August 2005 the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) began a roadside and safety enhancement project on US 78 in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties. The project covers 9.940 miles of roadway along US 78 Eastbound from Orion Drive in DeKalb County to East Park Place in Gwinnett County. This is a part of Georgia DOT's effort to upgrade and improve roadway safety for motorists who travel on US 78. This project is scheduled for completion in early spring 2006.

Crews will perform the following safety enhancements:

• Milling, clearing and grubbing, striping, pavement markings and guardrail replacement.
  
• Erecting over 36,000 feet of cable barrier in the grass median to help deter crossover (head-on/ opposite direction) crashes.
  
• Replacing curbs and gutters with V-gutter to enhance the drainage along this corridor.

Statistics

Trees are the number one cause of fatalities when vehicles strike an off-road fixed object. From 2001 to 2004, 15,338 people were injured and 605 people lost their lives when their vehicle ran off the road and struck a roadside tree. A fatality is more than two times more likely when hitting a tree than any other fixed object.

On US 78, three times as many fatalities occurred from striking a tree than any other fixed object.
 
Vegetation Removal

The removal of vegetation and trees along the roadway on US 78 is also an important part of this safety enhancement project. Over the years, vegetation (trees, bushes and underbrush) has grown within the vehicle recovery area along the edge of the roadway. Crews will remove this vegetation to establish a 32 feet clear zone on the mainline and the inside of the ramps. The outside of the ramps will be cleared to 50 feet (to allow for improved sight distance and visibility of traffic and signage. The clearing of vegetation along this corridor will provide a reasonable recovery area for motorists who run off the highway.

Clearing vegetation from the recovery area will:

• Decrease the number of injuries and fatalities caused by vehicles hitting a tree.
  
• Improve the visibility of Georgia Department of Transportation roadside signage such as destination, exit and speed limit signs.
  
• Improve sight distance at areas that are in curves with guardrail.
  
• Eliminate the possibility of trees falling across the roadway during inclement weather
  
• Allow GDOT to reestablish drainage ditches - improving the overall drainage of the roadway and prevent flooding of the roadway
  

The Georgia DOT understands the environmental and aesthetic value of trees, which is why we are maintaining a 15 foot buffer. No vegetation removal will be allowed outside of the right-of-way fence.

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