Politics & Government
Suwanee OKs Extra Funds for McGinnis Ferry Traffic Signal
The light at the busy intersection will be suspended by mast arms.
The Suwanee City Council approved extra funds Tuesday to display a planned traffic signal at a busy intersection on McGinnis Ferry Road.
Officials OK'd a maximum of $25,000 to help construct mast arms to display the signal at McGinnis Ferry Road and Scales Road. The intersection has been the focus of much frustration from nearby residents, especially since a double-fatal accident there last November.
. The signal is expected to be installed by the summer.
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The intersection also sits at the crest of a hill, which limits visibility in both directions. And traffic has increased along McGinnis Ferry Road since the opening of the new bridge over I-85 in 2011.
In late November, a head-on collision at the intersection killed two people and seriously injured another. A vehicle driven by David Dowdy of Bogart, who had just left work in the area, crossed the center line at a median break and headed into oncoming traffic.
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Dowdy's vehicle collided with a vehicle driven by Mike Strickland, who had his mother Jean Strickland as a passenger. Jean Strickland, who lived near the intersection, was killed in the crash.
No official cause of the accident was determined. Alcohol and drugs of abuse were not factors, according to the Gwinnett medical examiner.
NORTH GWINNETT GIRLS TEAM RECOGNIZED: Also Tuesday, the Suwanee City Council recognized the North Gwinnett High girls basketball team, which won the Region 7-AAAAAA title and made it to the final of the state tournament.
"I don't think we won 20 games in my whole four years there," said Mayor Jimmy Burnette, a North Gwinnett graduate.
See also:
- What Will McGinnis Ferry Road Traffic Light Look Like?
- Witnesses: Car in McGinnis Ferry Fatal Accident 'Swerving and Accelerating' ... 'Did Not Have Lights On'
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