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GDOT agrees to install median break near home of Macon boy with epilepsy

A little more than a week after Leslie Johns begged GDOT for a turn lane, they've come back with a compromise

MACON, Ga. — The Georgia Department of Transportation has recommended against a Macon mom’s request for them to install a turn lane near their home, the agency announced Friday.

They did, however, agree to install a median cut-through at the nearest intersection to their house.

13WMAZ first reported on Leslie Johns’ efforts to get a turn lane for her son Darrell, also known as Peanut, on April 10.

RELATED: 'He'll know Mama tried:' Mother pleads with Department of Transportation for turn lane for epileptic son

Johns said her son was born with hydrocephalus, which causes him to have seizures requiring immediate medical attention.

A current project by the Department of Transportation on Avondale Mill Road would put a new concrete median in, forcing an ambulance to drive down the road and back around to their house.

Johns said her son could die in those extra minutes it would take for the ambulance to turn around.

GDOT’s statement on Friday said, “Engineers with the Georgia Department of Transportation have collaborated with Macon-Bibb County officials and engineers, and after much deliberation they recommend against installing a turn lane and median cut-through directly at the home of the Johns Family on Sardis Church Road. However, they have agreed to proceed with a median break at the Avondale Mill Road intersection which is less than 1,200 feet from the Johns property.  The engineers believe that the safety and overall traffic flow features of this particular point can better serve the community at large and also provide quick access for business and emergency vehicles to the Johns home.  Both the Georgia DOT and Macon-Bibb County engineers and officials believe this solution provides a reasonable accommodation to the Johns’ needs. “

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