Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) crews are making progress clearing debris from Hurricane Helene in District 2 (east-central Georgia).

About 70% of state routes in our district experienced moderate to heavy impacts. Currently, all but five are passable.

All lanes of Interstate 16 and Interstate 20 are open to traffic in both directions.

In Jefferson County, State Route 296 is closed between Warrior Trail and United States 1/United States 221 because of a road washout. State Route 86 is also closed because of a road washout on the Laurens and Treutlen County line. Crews are assessing the extent of the damage to determine what needs to be done to repair these routes.

In Johnson County, United States 221/State Route 171 will be closed at Battleground Creek until we can inspect the bridge. The pond above the route breached.

In Treutlen County, State Route 46 is closed at Pendleton Creek. Water is up to the beams, and we are waiting for it to recede.

State Route 305 is closed from Keysville to Midville. There are hundreds of trees in the roadway.

District leadership spent about six hours on Saturday surveying damage from the air. Damage is widespread, and while most state routes are passable, many are still affected. There are trees wrapped up in power lines. Georgia DOT crews must wait for the utility company to respond to ensure it is safe to handle the debris.

“Please be patient with us, we’re working as quickly as we can,” said District Engineer Corbett Reynolds. “The more people that can reduce their travel to only a necessity, the more we can help our crews do their work quicker and safer.”

Our entire maintenance workforce will work on Sunday. They will work every day until all lanes are clear throughout the district. Some crews from District 1 (northeast Georgia) are coming to our district to work in some of the hardest hit areas. Burke, Emanuel, Jefferson, Johnson, and Treutlen Counties are the most affected areas.

Drivers should use EXTREME caution driving throughout the area as several traffic lights are not working across the district. You should always treat flashing red and non-operational signals as a four-way stop.

- If you see a Georgia DOT crew, please give them plenty of space to do their work
- Do not drive around barricades that are in place for motorist safety or through standing water
- Residents should never clear tree limbs, downed trees or debris from roadways, live power lines could be tangled in debris and can cause injury or death; instead, wait for Georgia DOT and Georgia Power crews
- Call 511 to report flash flooding, downed trees or other obstructions that impede travel on roadways or bridges