The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission may decide to use eminent domain to seize property near the intersection of Hawthorne Avenue and Oglethorpe Avenue at a meeting Tuesday night. The local government plans to use the property to move forward with infrastructure improvements.
In the past five years, over 150 crashes have occurred at the intersection of Hawthorne and Oglethorpe Avenues, with 60 resulting in injuries, according to the local government.
The project, a part of the 2019 round of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) initiatives, aims to reduce traffic speeds and improve the safety of turns along the two roads. The project will also replace sidewalks and add two lanes for bicycles on Oglethorpe Avenue. However, to move forward, the local government will have to decide whether to use eminent domain on two parcels. They risk losing grant money to complete the project if there are further delays. The project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2027.
