Oconee County Citizens Gathered To Discuss U.S. 441 Widening Favor Close-In Bypass Of Bishop

The 22 people who gathered at the Oconee County Community Center in Veterans Park Thursday night to discuss the proposed widening of U.S. 441 in the south of the county mostly agreed on two important things.

First, a bypass of Bishop is needed for the economic survival of the city and the safety of its residents.

Second, the bypass should be as close to Bishop as possible so as to protect farmland, historic and cultural sites, and the environment.

“We want a route that preserves as much of Oconee as it is now as possible,” Carole Ludwig, a farmer with property east of Bishop, said. “That includes historic Bishop, farmland, historic farms, historic structures...We also want our water preserved and our air.”

Goodloe Yancey, who lives on Phinizy Court north of Watkinsville, said “We don’t want another Epps Bridge wherever they put this bypass, and that is a very real possibility...The further out that we go from Bishop, the more likely you are to see developers rush in and build on the land.”

The 90-minute-long meeting ended with those present expressing a determinaton to communicate their concerns to the Georgia Department of Transportation, which is planning the upgrade to the highway, and to county and state officials.

For more on this story, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Moderator Margaret Holt.