Second Addendum to the Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Safety Improvements to SR 136, Pickens County, Georgia.

The proposed project would consist of various spot operational geometric and intersection improvements as well as upgrading the shoulder widths and associated slopes to comply with AASHTO guidelines along SR 136 in Pickens County. The roadway would remain a two-lane road, with one lane in each direction. The existing ROW width is 80 feet. The required ROW width would be variable with a maximum width of approximately 125 feet. The total project length is approximately 2.7 miles.

The geometric and intersection spot improvements would focus on five critical areas along the project corridor. The first area is at the western project terminus in Blaine, at the intersection of SR 136 and SR 136 Connector. The proposed project would reconstruct this intersection as a roundabout. The second area is the curve at SR 136 and Antioch Church Road. The alignment of SR 136 at the intersection would be shifted to the north to the inside of the existing horizontal curve. This realignment would improve sight distances through the curve and at the intersection. The third area is on SR 136 at the skewed intersections with Priest Circle. Priest Circle would be realigned at both intersections to address the skew and create 90 degree intersection angles. The fourth area is the curve on SR 136 west of Old Highway 5/Ellijay Road. The intersection of SR 136 and Old Highway 5/Ellijay Road would be shifted approximately 500 feet north along Old Highway 5/Ellijay Road to improve the horizontal curve on SR 136. The intersection would also be reconstructed as a roundabout. The fifth area is the intersection of SR 136 with the connector to SR 515. The intersection would be realigned to the southeast to create a 90 degree intersection.

The shoulders on both sides of SR 136 throughout the project, except at the aforementioned roundabouts where curb and gutter will be utilized, would be widened to 10 feet with a 6.5-foot paved width to accommodate bicyclists on a rural roadway based on GDOT and AASHTO guidance. A rumble strip would be embedded into the paved shoulder to alert straying motorists and to help decrease the number of single vehicle crashes. The foreslopes, ditches, and drainage structures affected by the shoulder widening would be upgraded to comply with AASHTO clear zone guidelines. The existing pavement between the new, widened shoulders would be overlaid and restriped.