ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - One Albany city commissioner said he may have a plan to help relieve the heavy traffic that many commuters have come to expect in downtown Albany. The traffic is on detour routes that avoid the Oglethorpe Bridge while the bridge replacement project is in progress.

Traffic on the Broad Street Bridge — one of the detours — has been piling up since the Oglethorpe Replacement Project began in July. With the traffic has come multiple accidents.

Many drivers said the traffic is simply something they will have to get used to, but those near Albany State’s East Campus said they are already dreading homecoming traffic.

“It’s very hectic and congested,” an employee of Odyssey Records said. “It’s gonna be really terrible around October, September, so I think they need to put some security guard over there to kind of guide the way. People have been in a lot of car accidents.”

During Tuesday, Aug. 5’s city commission meeting, Commissioner Willie Weaver brought attention to the traffic lights around the area. He said they have not been adjusted since the bridge closure. Weaver said the slow timing of the traffic lights paired with the bridge closure contributes to the increased traffic.

“I don’t think there will be any pushback from the other commissioners to make sure that all citizens of Albany will be able to travel freely and not get held up by traffic and slow traffic lights,” Weaver said.

As a resident of Ward 2 himself, Weaver said he is also heavily affected by traffic and these bridge detours. Still, he asks that drivers be patient while the bridge is rebuilt over the next year.

“The bridge was over 70 years old, so it needed to be replaced,” Weaver added. “We have to be patient. It’s going to take some time, even with the adjustment of the lights. So, we need to leave home a little earlier and expect to get home from work a little later while the construction is going on.”

Commissioner Weaver said he will be speaking with the city manager and city engineers to adjust these stop light intervals as soon as possible. He said he hopes the traffic lights will be adjusted within the next two weeks.

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