A Tuesday public information meeting is the next step toward building a new Interstate 516 connector and improving DeRenne Avenue.
It’s also the first chance residents will have to see how the plans have changed. The initial concept, developed with citizen input, is largely the same, but some adjustments were made to proposed street routes during the engineering and environmental review stages.
That was necessary to assure better-flowing connections and to follow federally mandated requirements to disturb historic areas as little as possible, said Heather Fish, a specialist with the Citizen Office.
University Place, Poplar Place and Tatemville all qualify for historic neighborhood designations, the environmental review found. The Summit of Savannah on Hampstead Avenue, which serves elderly and disabled residents, also must not be disrupted if avoidable under the guidelines.
The estimated cost of the project is $76 million, and the city would pay 20 percent, or $15.2 million, with federal and state funding paying the rest.
Tuesday’s public session is a required part of the development process, but it’s also a chance to get more neighborhood input, Fish said.
“It is very important that the public come out and say, ‘I like it’ or ‘I don’t like it’ or ‘I have concerns and here they are’ or ‘Just build it,’” she said.
Public input will help show community interest, which can help when federal highway dollars are assigned to projects.
Susan Broker, director of the Citizen Office, said public input helps the city complete the approvals needed for pre-construction approval.
Having those steps completed helped the city land federal funding for the final phase of construction when “shovel-ready” projects were sought during the stimulus.
That’s the goal with Project DeRenne.
“We have communicated with the state and federal government at every step of the way to make sure we are in line for the federal funding,” Broker said.
The Federal Highway Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation “have been our partners every step of the way of this process,” she said.
City officials more than three years ago began asking residents and business owners for improvement ideas, and from that effort, a final concept was developed.
The plan calls for creating a new route that would allow eastbound traffic on I-516 to flow directly onto Hampstead Avenue to White Bluff Road. That would help divert thousands of cars that back up from Montgomery to Abercorn streets.
The project also incorporates medians, landscaping and bike routes to make DeRenne prettier and more user-friendly to all modes of transportation.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: PUBLIC INFORMATION OPEN HOUSE ON PROJECT DERENNE
WHEN: 3-7 P.M. TUESDAY
WHERE: SAVANNAH TECHNICAL COLLEGE’S ECKBERG AUDITORIUM, 5717 WHITE BLUFF ROAD