Accidents at Key Intersection in Suwanee Raise Speed Limit Question

Updated 7:40 a.m., June 8, 2011

It was a dangerous weekend at one busy Suwanee intersection, with two accidents leaving several people injured. The 55 mph speed limit has been mentioned by Suwanee Police as a factor in previous mishaps, but Gwinnett County officials say it's appropriate.

In one accident Saturday at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and McGinnis Ferry Road, one driver was left unresponsive and the other vehicle found on its driver's side when police arrived, accident reports show. Both drivers were transported to Gwinnett Medical Center facilities.

In the other accident Saturday, a driver ran a red light and struck a second vehicle, knocking it into a third vehicle that was waiting in the left-turn lane, records show. The driver ran the light because she was thinking about going to the convenience store at the intersection, according to the accident report.

In a report to City Council recently, Suwanee Police Chief Mike Jones said the speed limit at the intersection was the main reason for the high accident rate in April. There were eight at the intersection in April 2011; a nearby intersection, PIB and Moore Road/Eva Kennedy Road, had six in the same month, police records show.

"If the speed limit is 55, people think they can go 65," Jones said then.

Speeding was not mentioned as a factor in Saturday's accidents, according to the accident reports.

Speed limits are set by the Department of Transportations that have jurisdiction; Gwinnett DOT is in charge of county roads, state DOT for state highways.

Gwinnett transportation officials conducted traffic studies of Peachtree Industrial from McGinnis Ferry Drive to Chattahoochee Drive (in 2011) and Peachtree Industrial from Suwanee Dam Road to West Price Road (in 2010). They say the data support the current 55 mph limit.

In both studies, average speeds ranged from 49-58 mph, according to records furnished to Suwanee Patch by Gwinnett County officials. Some speed
"percentiles" exceeded 60 mph.

DOT staff has not heard many requests for speed limit changes in those areas, according to Heather Sawyer, public relations manager for Gwinnett County. She said officials "will continue to monitor the area."

In April, there were four accidents at the I-85 northbound ramp at Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, another trouble spot.

Police in Suwanee and several other Gwinnett cities currently are unable to use radar or laser to issue speeding citations because of the ongoing services dispute between Gwinnett County and the Gwinnett Municipal Assocation.