More Oconee Co residents face removal amid 316 upgrade plans

Residents along a stretch of Highway 316 in Oconee County are facing the prospect of losing their homes as the Georgia DOT moves forward with plans for highway upgrades. Several homes near the 316 intersection with the Dials Mill Road extension will have to be removed to make way for work on the highway that links Athens with metro Atlanta.

From the Ga News Network…

Eminent domain is forcing several families from their homes in Oconee County.

Rita Huff, a 91-year-old woman who has lived in her mobile home for 50 years and is one of several people facing displacement due to construction plans near their homes on Georgia Highway 316 in Oconee County.

The state’s process of appraisal and relocation is causing uncertainty for affected residents forced to move under eminent domain.

The state Department of Transportation intends to convert the intersection near the homes into an overpass as part of the highway’s expansion. The new interchange at Dials Mill Extension is designed to be safer as 316 becomes a freeway.

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