Friday, May 24, 2013
Suwanee already had approved its cost for the light at a busy intersection.
The final hurdle has been cleared in obtaining a traffic light at a busy Suwanee intersection. The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners on Tuesday (May 24) approved $145,000 for the construction of a traffic signal at McGinnis Ferry Road at Scales Road. Suwanee officials already had approved $20,000 for the light to be suspended with mast arms above the intersection. Gwinnett transportation officials had agreed that a traffic signal at the intersection was warranted. Public clamor for a light at the intersection peaked last November, after a head-on collision killed two people and seriously injured another. The intersection sits at the crest of a hill, which limits visibility in both directions, particularly at night. In the fatal accident, a …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
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. Gwinnett County officials, who maintain the road, agreed to place a light at the intersection after conducting a study of traffic patterns. The signal is expected to be installed by the summer. The intersection also sits at the crest of a hill, which limits visibility in both directions. And traffic has increased along McGinnis Ferry Road …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Suwanee officials are considering how to display the coming signal at the busy interesection.
Gwinnett County officials already have the wheels turning toward a new traffic light at a busy Suwanee intersection. Now, Suwanee officials are considering how to display the new light. Suwanee officials are considering spending up to $25,000 for added display features for the light at McGinnis Ferry Road and Scales Road. The improved display would include mast arms and underground utilities. The default display would be to simply hang the light by wires. The extra funds would mean a display similar to the light at some other busy intersections around town, including at Buford Highway-Lawrenceville Suwanee Road. Gwinnett officials, who maintain the road, agreed to install the light after a recent traffic study. The study was undertaken …
Friday, March 15, 2013
The police report on the November head-on collision says that the phone belonging to the wrong-way driver was not located.
A witness to the November double-fatality, head-on collision on McGinnis Ferry Road in Suwanee told police that the wrong-way vehicle "was swerving and accelerating" shortly before the accident. Another witness said the "vehicle traveling the wrong way did not have any lights on," according to the police investigation. The crash on the evening of November 28 killed both David Dowdy of Bogart and Jean Strickland of Suwanee. Seriously injured was Mike Strickland, Jean Strickland's son, who was driving their vehicle. Lawrenceville Police compiled the report, as they worked with Suwanee Police at the accident scene. As previously reported by Suwanee Patch, the Gwinnett Medical Examiner has ruled that neither of the drivers "showed signs of …
Friday, February 15, 2013
The Suwanee intersection was the scene of a double-fatality traffic accident last November.
A Suwanee intersection that was the scene of a traffic accident that killed two people last November will be getting a traffic light soon. Gwinnett County officials confirmed Friday that the McGinnis Ferry Road-Scales Road intersection will be getting a traffic light, which should be installed by summer. Gwinnett spokesperson Joe Sorenson relayed a Gwinnett Department of Transportation memo about the situation: The Gwinnett County Department of Transportation (GCDOT) recently completed a traffic analysis at the location. The study included reviewing the current traffic volumes; traffic accident history; conducting a speed study; measuring sight distance; and, taking an inventory of the traffic control devices currently in place. The …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Gwinnett medical examiner has received lab results from the November 2012 head-on collision. The police probe is still in the works.
Alcohol and "common drugs of abuse" were not factors in a November 2012 vehicle collision in Suwanee that claimed two lives and injured another person, according to the Gwinnett medical examiner. ME Ted Bailey said in an email that he has received the reports -- with "negative" results -- from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Forensic Sciences division; they were dated late December and early January. David Dowdy, 47, of Bogart and Jean Strickland, 79, of Suwanee were killed in the head-on collision on McGinnis Ferry Road near the intersection with Scales Road. Strickland's son, Mike Strickland, was seriously injured in the November 28 accident. -- What are your thoughts on this accident? On traffic safety at this intersection? Share …
Monday, December 31, 2012
The Cleary brothers are reunited with their mother and friends after a national Amber Alert. But memories of another recent tragedy linger.
It was the second time in recent weeks that a Suwanee neighborhood has known extreme emotions. This time, it had a happy ending, when brothers Ben and Henry Cleary returned to Suwanee at midday Sunday from Austin, Texas, accompanied by their mother, Theresa Nash. A nationwide Amber Alert was issued December 27 for the boys, who were visiting with their father. Nash became suspicious when the father, Daniel Cleary of Roswell, did not call her on December 22, as required by their custody agreement. However, the same neighborhood was plunged into mourning in late November when resident Jean Strickland, of a Lake Pass Lane address, was killed in a head-on crash on nearby McGinnis Ferry Road. Her son Mike Strickland, who lived with her, was …
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Mike Strickland was a driver in the head-on crash that killed two others, including his mother.
Mike Strickland, who was injured in the head-on collision on McGinnis Ferry Road in Suwanee recently, is in serious condition in a Gwinnett hospital. Gwinnett Medical spokesperson Beth Okun relayed Mike Strickland's condition Monday. He was admitted to the Lawrenceville facility following the November 28 crash near Scales Road. The accident killed two people, including Strickland's mother, Jean Strickland. Also killed was David Dowdy of Bogart, Ga. Authorities believe that a vehicle driven by Dowdy crossed the center line at a break in the median and struck the vehicle driven by Mike Strickland. See also: Don’t miss any Suwanee news. Subscribe to Suwanee Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Friday, November 30, 2012
The memorial is on the southbound side of McGinnis Ferry Road, where two people were killed Wednesday.
A wreath and flowers have been placed on the side of McGinnis Ferry Road in Suwanee, near where two people were killed Wednesday evening (November 28) in a head-on collision. The impromptu memorial likely would have been placed there Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours after Jean Strickland of Suwanee and David Dowdy of Bogart, Ga., were killed in the wreck. Strickland's son, Mike Strickland, was injured and hospitalized. His mother was a passenger in his Mercedes. (This reporter traversed the area on foot at midday Thursday, and saw no wreath or flowers.) Jean Strickland's residence was listed as Lake Pass Lane, which is near the accident site. Mike Strickland's condition at Gwinnett Medical in Lawrenceville is not known. -- Did you …
Alicia Allen
3:14 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
I think traffic would clear up greatly if we re-worked McGinnis Ferry's left turn lanes, especially at PIB. McGinnis Ferry has a wide median, with huge painted gores, and short turn lanes. I've had to wait three lights to turn left, only because I couldn't get to the turn lane. If the left turners could get out of the way, others would have more room. more ›