MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County commissioners hope adding new sidewalks to Pine Hill Drive in east Macon will make the road safer.
Commissioner Elaine Lucas calls it "dangerous" for pedestrians and drivers alike. Artice Rozier, who lives at the intersection of New Clinton Road and Pine Hill Drive, agrees.
"I'm just waiting. I'm just waiting because we've already had it happen. Like I said, in my room, I'm just so scared because of the last incident," Rozier said.
Rozier was talking about the most recent time a car crashed in her yard. She first spoke with 13WMAZ about it in 2021, and said it was 'Driving her Crazy.'
Now, Rozier watches people try to walk up Pine Hill Drive with the traffic. It worries her.
"They get on this side, and they walk through the grass, and all the way up they walk through somebody's yard. Then, maybe when they get a little farther up, they get in the street," she said. "The cars are coming so fast, it's hard for you to try to jump out of the way."
Lucas says she and the neighborhood association worry too. This is why commissioners approved nearly $680,000 in SPLOST funds on Tuesday for new sidewalks on Pine Hill Drive.
Lucas says this project has been in progress since 2018, but it took a while to get all the necessary approvals and designs finished.
"People will have a sidewalk. They'll have a street that's wide enough to accommodate cars," Lucas said.
Lucas says since the road is narrow, the new work will include road widening. She hopes adding the sidewalk makes it safe enough for children to ride their bikes and enjoy the neighborhood.
Rozier says the sidewalk is a good start, but she'd like to see more safety measures.
"Police presence and we definitely need speed bumps," Rozier said.
In addition to Pine Hill Drive, Lucas is watching Old Clinton Road. It's where someone hit and killed Irene Stubbs two years ago. Lucas says East Macon can expect to start seeing new lights and sidewalks there in a matter of months.
Mayor Lester Miller also gave an update on a $730,000 project in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Transportation that would add sidewalks to a one-mile stretch of Eisenhower Parkway from Key Street to I-75.
He expects work to start in 2025.