Salem Needs You to Communicate with GA DOT!

​What is On My Heart and Mind Right Now!

​     Recently, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) held a public information Open House concerning their proposed solution for the traffic problems and delays of GA Hwy. 162 and Salem Road. As many of you know, the state has been discussing and looking for possible solutions for numerous years. The solution, as proposed now, may cause several issues for our church in the future and has myself and several other members very concerned.
     The GDOT is proposing to move GA Hwy. 162/Salem Road west of its current location starting about two-tenths of a mile north of Spring Road in an arc and rejoin the current Salem Road between near Salem Circle. The current stretch of Salem Road where the arc starts and ends will be renamed Salem Campground Road.
     As proposed, our church will lose all visibility to the traffic flow of the new stretch of road. People will have to go out of their way to find our church not only on Sunday mornings but for any other times where we are offering ministry opportunities to our community.
     Besides the loss of visibility, some of our other concerns are:

• The state proposes to cut off southbound access to our church where the northbound section of the arc starts. The Salem Campground Road will be a dead end northbound. Those travelling southbound will have to go out of their way to find our church. (Northbound traffic will have access via Salem Campground Road, but the church may not be visible for the northbound traffic.
• The naming of Salem Campground Road will be problematic for us. Our church has been in this area for almost 200 years and we operate 24/7, 365 days a year. The Campground is used for one week a year. Salem Church Road seems like a better solution but then again without our visibility to main road, this may become a moot point.

     We need your help! The deadline for comments and concerns to the GDOT is Thursday, February 8. Please take time to let them know that you too are concerned about the future of our church with the proposals as they are now given.
     You can contact the GDOT online at www.dot.ga.gov/PS/Public/PublicOutreach.  From the menu, select "Newton County" and click GO. Select the SR162/Salem Road Improvements Project. Then CLICK on the comment section, follow the directions and leave your comments. You can also mail your concerns to Mr. Eric Duff, Georgia Department of Transportation, 600 West Peachtree Street NW, 16th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30308. Please prayerfully consider doing this for YOUR church and for our work in our community. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience. Thank you for this and for what you do and give to Salem. 

Pastor Dan