Repairs wrap up ahead of schedule on Richmond County traffic lights
- Progress: Hurricane Helene debris removal gets started early in Augusta
- Augusta: Power is mostly back on, but mayor stands by curfew
- Electricity: Crews are in final stretch of restoring power – but it’s slow-going
- Mosquitoes: Hurricane Helene brings new boom in pests for CSRA
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Hurricane Helene damaged signal heads at more than 100 intersections across the county. Initial estimates suggested it would take about three weeks to repair all of them.
However, this work has been completed 10 days ahead of schedule because of a major statewide effort, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
”Without everyone coming together and working as one throughout the state, we wouldn’t be able to complete a task of this magnitude this quickly,” said District Engineer Corbett Reynolds.
Signal crews from five of Georgia DOT’s seven districts assisted with repairs, in addition to contracted crews.
Georgia DOT’s state signal shop and District 2′s signal shop in Tennille produced and delivered hundreds of new signal heads to Augusta for this effort.
More than 300 signal heads across Richmond County needed to be replaced because of Hurricane Helene.
MORE FROM NEWS 12:
- Food, water and other relief: Where to get it across the CSRA
- Acts of kindness: Help flows in after Hurricane Helene
- Shelters: Where to go if Helene impacted you in the CSRA
- List: School, closures and reopening plans after Helene
When the sun came up Tuesday morning, 35 Richmond County signals still needed repair. Crews worked hard throughout the day to finish repairing the remaining signals, bringing an end to this effort less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene first impacted the area.
“We appreciate everybody in Augusta-Richmond County being patient with us,” Reynolds said. “We also appreciate the assistance we got from local law enforcement to keep our crews safe.”
‘She loved them so much’: Thomson mom, babies die together in storm
Hurricane Helene cut short the lives of Thomson mother Kobe Williams and her twin infant sons Khyzier and Khazmir.
some signals are still non-operational due to power loss. Once power is restored at those locations, those signals will become operational again. Georgia DOT continues to stress the importance of obeying Georgia traffic law, which requires you to come to a stop when approaching a non-operational signal.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
