Proposed Improvements

Brown Bridge Road

Reason for Improvements


Newton County is seeking to improve Brown Bridge Road between Crowell Road and State Route 162 to reduce traffic and increase safety.

This three-mile stretch of road is currently two lanes with ditches and no sidewalks. The average daily traffic (ADT) is 17,686 vehicles per day, the highest traffic among Newton County-owned roads. The ADT is predicted to rise o 20,000 vehicles per day in two years.

Between 2015-17 there have been 275 crashes, with the majority being rear-end incidents.

Image of Brown Bridge Road Improvements

Justification for Proposed Improvements


  • Narrow shoulders and number of access points reduce the capacity of the two-lane road.
  • Lack of left turn lanes produce significant congestion.
  • A three-lane road has been shown to have similar capacity to an undivided four-lane road.
  • LOS improvements from “E” to “B”.
  • Sidewalks needed for pedestrian safety.
  • Continuous left turn lane addresses high occurrence of rear-end crashes.
  • Existing 100’ right-of-way width will accommodate a three-lane roadway.

Construction Phases


The Brown Bridge Road improvements will be done in two phases as follows;

Project A                                                     Project B


Salem road to Jack Neely Road                               Jack Neely Road to Crowell Road

Cost Estimate: $7.9 million                                     Cost Estimate: $10.5 million