Two downtown road projects proposed

One is the possible designation for one-way traffic a two-block section of East Athens Street from North Broad Street to Park Avenue.

In those blocks are City Hall, Lanier Tech and some small businesses.

City administrator Don Toms said the Chatterbox Café at 104 E. Athens St. is a popular spot, and customers often have difficulty backing up from the diagonal parking places. The beds of parked trucks also tend to extend into the roadway, creating traffic jams as vehicles maneuver around them, he said.

The proposal is on the agenda of the June 21 meeting of the Winder Downtown Development Authority, which starts at 11 a.m. at the Winder Community Center.

Toms said DDA members would be invited to the July 19 meetings of the Winder Planning Board where the matter would be more fully discussed.

Planning director Barry Edgars said Wednesday that there would be multiple public meetings before the city council’s vote on the proposal.

Athens Street west of Broad is a state highway, but it becomes a city street on the east side of Broad, he said.

The other proposed project is on the back side of City Hall, where a small road is misaligned with Laura Street.

“The road there now beside the wall is not aligned with Laura Street so when you crosss Jackson you have to turn at an angle to get lined back up,” Edgars said. “It’s not very safe.”

The city in a couple of weeks will begin the demolition of a retaining wall and vacant drive-through structure in connection with that project.

The council approved the $2,500 demotion and landscaping in the area but has not yet approved the realignment.

Edgars said the initial work would creating a small area of green space off Jackson Street.