'Won't be able to get out my driveway': Rincon residents denounce Effingham Parkway

Woody Bagley gazes into a plush green lawn that leads to an open field. These moments are bittersweet as Bagley knows it may only be a matter of time before the serenity he enjoys today is gone.

Bagley’s property lies on Forest Haven Drive, a street that will tie into the Effingham Parkway. The six-mile roadway will connect Highway 30 to Blue Jay Road. Construction began September 2021 and will be completed in April 2025.

Bagley has lived on Forest Haven Drive for 14 years and worries his “country lifestyle” is in jeopardy of noise and traffic pollution.

“I've been fighting it for five years because it could destroy our property,” said Bagley. “It destroys all these people that live here. Just with the people working here, we are constantly picking up trash off the road where the cars come in and out. It is the combination of everything. Once all those cars start rolling in, we won't be able to get out of the driveway.”

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Effingham County commissioner Roger Burdette said he considered how it would impact residents who live on or near Forest Haven Drive, but ultimately, it was determined to be a vital piece of the parkway that the committee could not forgo.

“It was a hot and heavy one for a while and I lost some sleep over it,” said Burdette. “I think the most important thing is that it's a county road, and we can't close it off and make it a private road with all the other constituents in the area paying taxes. So once you close that off, you in essence make it a private road because it's a dead end, so the only people using that road are the residents. So in that way, it was unfair. The other reason was the fact that we'd be closing off another way out of the county and that is the worst possible thing we could do right now. I consulted with three different engineers on that to get a decision. The data shows that we should not be closing off anything until we get some relief.”

County Manager Tim Callanan said the parkway is a key artery that will help regulate traffic flow for folks who have no direct access to I-95.

“Our local roads are our major access in and out of the county,” said Burdette. “Right now, that’s pretty much limited for the most part to Highway 21. With the amount of traffic every morning going north to south towards Chatham County and Gulfstream, it is completely backed up. So there's a desperate need for another north-south route that will connect the center of the county.”

It has been a long time coming for the parkway, as talk of designing the infrastructure dates back to the 90s. Effingham County has long since been a bedroom community and the number of commuters going into Chatham County from Rincon, Springfield and Guyton have increased significantly over the last two decades.

The numbers for the project have fluctuated too. In 2007, the cost was estimated to be somewhere around $90 million. Today, it is $56 million.

A traffic study shows the parkway would bring nearly 2,500 motorists a day throughout Forest Haven Drive. Bagley and neighbor John Wineman started a petition to urge commissioners to withdraw Forest Haven Drive as an option for the parkway, but ultimately, their efforts failed.

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With small children playing outside and neighbors sharing laughs, Wineman said pedestrians may not be able to enjoy those luxuries if the parkway comes through their neighborhood.

“We purposely bought in this area because I didn't want to be on a main road,” said Wineman. “This is a residential road that has a lot of curves and people go on bike rides and walk their dogs. It’s going to have people going 40-50 miles an hour. We wouldn't be able to walk down the road any longer. One of the things that bothers me is they have known about this for years. But why are they putting a road that goes to nowhere, instead of coming in and beefing up Highway 21?”

Wineman also pointed to Scuffletown Road as another area of concern and fears they will see the same traffic woes.

“When they say 2,300 or 2,500 cars a day, that's insane,” said Wineman. “Our small curvy road was not meant to handle that kind of traffic. There are going to be people trying to speed through there, especially in the mornings when people are going to work. About a mile from us is Scuffletown Road and that area has a similar situation. Everybody that comes south on Hodgeville in the mornings trying to get to Highway 30 ends up backed up on that road. In fact, if you're not out of the house by about 6:30 in the mornings, you sit and wait forever. People use Scuffletown road as a shortcut and they will do the same in our neighborhood.”

Callanan said it was a “very extensive debate” which resulted in a split vote that ultimately led to the majority agreeing for additional connectivity.

“I think we had about four or five visuals brought up four or five different times at the commissioner’s meeting,” said Callanan. “What it came down to was the weight of connectivity versus the effect that it would have on that particular route and the people who live on it.”

Now, Bagley wonders how much of his property he will be able to enjoy when cars are piled up outside his front yard. While he enjoys his 14-acre lot, Bagley is willing to leave it all behind.

“We are not going to move right now, but we probably will if the parkway is going to be on our street,” said Bagley.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Residents in Rincon GA denounce Effingham Parkway plans