DOT Evaluates Georgia Bypass After Deadly Crashes

The Georgia Department of Transportation is being asked to investigate safety concerns raised by police about the design of a Savannah bypass where crashes have killed five people in 14 months.

Savannah-Chatham County police began looking at the stretch of Interstate 516 after a Feb. 22 crash killed a couple and injured their 3-year-old daughter and two others. The highway connects Interstate 16 with DeRenne Avenue on Savannah’s suburban south side.

Police Capt. Philip Reilley says officers responded to 129 crashes on the same stretch between January 2011 and November 2012. He suspects a curve may prevent speeding drivers from seeing traffic backed up at a red light where the bypass ends.

Police want the DOT to decide if the bypass needs lighted warning signs or other safety improvements.