“The 316 Death Trap:” Residents Eagerly Wait for Atlanta-Athens Freeway Improvements – WSB-TV Channel 2

The Georgia Department of Transportation says that with so many two-lane roads crossing the busy four-lane highway, accidents are a chronic problem. A GDOT study shows that most of the corridor has crash rates above the state average.

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“People always say: where do you live? And I mean through the death trap of 316,” said Janice Powell, who has lived near the Dials Mill Extension intersection with Highway 316 for decades.

She calls it a “death trap” because she regularly hears accidents on the highway. She welcomes the improvements to Highway 316, but calls it “heartbreaking” that some of her longtime neighbors have to move.

“A lot of us older people who have lived here for years and years have seen a lot in our lives,” she said.

The state is purchasing several homes around Dials Mills Extension that must be demolished for the project. Residents declined to speak on the record, but several said Bryan Mims, Channel 2 Action News reporter that they have to move in a few months and that GDOT is helping them move.

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Carolyn Cowart has lived near the intersection of Dials Mill Extension for 50 years. She doesn’t need to move, but she bristles at the idea that all the work should start in early 2025.

“It’s going to disrupt everyone in that area,” she said. “It’s going to upset everyone.”

Still, she said, it’s a necessary price to make Highway 316 safer.

“There’s a lot of wreckage,” Cowart said. “A lot of people lost their lives on the 316.”

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