Jul. 15—Traffic relief is coming to heavily congested Old Winder Highway/Ga. 211 in Braselton, but drivers will need to be patient.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has awarded a $25.5 million contract to widen the road from two to four lanes between north of Pinot Noir Drive and Interstate 85, according to a GDOT press release Friday, July 15.
The project, expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2025, will include a 5 1/2 -foot sidewalk on the east side of a bridge on Ga. 211, as well as multi-lane roundabouts at Interstate 85 and Tour de France Drive at Chateau Elan resort.
"The town has worked very hard in partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation to get this project to construction," Braselton Town Manager Jennifer Scott said in reaction to the announcement.
Ga. 211 is a busy, fast-developing road between Friendship Road/Ga. 347 in Hall County and I-85. The road is also close to Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton.
A huge, multi-use development, Braselton Village, is being graded off Ga. 211 near Pinot Noir Drive. The development will feature a 187,647-square-foot shopping center with five outparcels totaling 32,660 square feet spread across about 32 acres.
So, more traffic is likely to come to the area.
Scott said Braselton intends to continue working with GDOT to widen Ga. 211 from Pinot Noir to Friendship Road "in anticipation that we can get that project to award as soon as possible."
Plans also call for Ga. 211 to be widened in Hall from Friendship Road to Winder Highway/Ga. 53. The project, estimated to cost $92 million overall, has been set for 2026-30, according to the Gainesville-Hell Metropolitan Planning Organization.