Retail boom poised to strain North Macon’s already clogged roads

Lindsey Smith can spend up to five grueling minutes on any given day idling in her car at the mouth of her neighborhood, watching a relentless stream of traffic blur past as she waits for a safe break to turn onto the two-lane Bass Road.

Every minute that ticks by adds to her frustration.

“I can leave my house at the same time every day and not know what the traffic’s going to look like,” Smith said, adding that the unpredictable standoffs often threaten to make her late. “Traffic to get out of our neighborhood is already very difficult to manage sometimes — especially when I’m trying to get my kids to school.”

The compounding traffic headache faced by motorists who regularly travel Bass Road, New Forsyth Road and Wesleyan Drive is expected to get worse before it gets any better. 

Major retail developments soon to begin nearly 75 acres away will likely draw even more traffic to the area.

A Costco Wholesale warehouse with a 32-pump fuel station and parking for 873 vehicles is planned on nearly 30 acres near the Shoppes at River Crossing. The Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission voted to approve it for rezoning in late June. And, later this month, the commission is set to decide on a proposed rezoning of about 50 acres across from the coming Costco where a big-box store development called Riverside Centre is planned on New Forsyth Road. 

“Bass Road is not set up for the traffic load that the new Costco and the new shopping center would bring,” Smith said. “Pouring more traffic into that area that’s already poorly managed is just a really terrible idea.”

Though the Georgia Department of Transportation plans to widen part of Bass Road that stretches over Interstate 75 to New Forsyth Road, construction is not expected to begin until April 2029. 

Jeff Ruggieri, executive director of the Planning & Zoning Commission, recognizes the likelihood that the developments will cause temporary traffic jams.

“Everybody knows that the capacity of Bass Road is being strained,” he said.

It’s a difficult problem to address, he added, “because of the way it’s constructed, with open ditch on both sides and a large powerline easement with large transmission poles on one side.”

Ruggieri has read the comments about the developments on social media. People have expressed deep concerns about the impending traffic nightmare that could accompany a new bulk retailer. 

“Some 25% of the people love it,” Ruggieri said of the planned Costco. “The other 75% are terrified of the traffic.”

Quantifying the cumulative projected impact on traffic from the two separate developments is difficult, but Ruggieri said developers of the properties lining New Forsyth Road are studying the feasibility of “controlled intersection improvements, lights, turn lanes, things like that.” The developers will pay for any new traffic lights, he said.

State data shows the traffic at New Forsyth and Bass Road has tripled over the past decade, during which time the Academy for Classical Education opened and the new North Macon Plaza was built near I-75.

At one point, GDOT planned to build a roundabout to alleviate traffic at that intersection, which is often clogged during the school year when classes let out.

Michael Greenwald, administrator for the Metropolitan Planning Organization, said the state’s plans for a roundabout at that intersection were scrapped due to environmental and cost-related concerns. 

Plans for installing a traffic light and designated turn lanes at New Forsyth and Bass roads are included in GDOT documents.

However, that intersection is part of the state’s plan to widen Bass Road, so construction could be years away.

“It’s probably going to be a pretty significant choke point in the short term,” Greenwald said.

Bobby Hartley’s insurance office is next to the planned Costco and across New Forsyth Road from the planned Riverside Centre.

On some afternoons, he said, the logjam from the Academy for Classical Education is so bad that he’s forced to postpone his errands.

“Just a simple right-hand turn lane would alleviate a ton” of traffic, he said. “I’ve been sitting in that situation where, at 3 [p.m.], I’ve had to actually go across in the oncoming traffic lane and pass several cars just so I can take a right to get there. Or else I’ll just sit there.”

Witt Gaither, chair of the state charter school’s governing board, said the school is keeping “a close eye” on development and expansion in the areas surrounding ACE. 

“We are certainly aware of the proposed Costco development and the accompanying commercial projects. While those developments could create more challenging traffic patterns, our student drop-off and pick-up windows generally occur outside the peak retail business hours. We are hopeful that will help minimize any impact on our daily operations.”