A bridge replacement. A major intersection overhaul. And millions of dollars in new road projects. Gwinnett County is pressing ahead with a slate of transportation upgrades meant to keep cars moving and commuters sane.
🚧 What’s Happening: At its August 5 meeting, Gwinnett’s Board of Commissioners approved a series of transportation improvements. Among them:
- Stanley Road at Winder Highway: This project ties into the state’s long-term plan to convert State Route 316 into a freeway. It will shift Stanley Road and add turn lanes. ER Snell Contractor, Inc. landed the $5.1 million construction contract.
- Drowning Creek Road: The county is replacing a 1964-era bridge with a new span designed and built by Georgia Bridge and Concrete, LLC.
- Steve Reynolds Boulevard: Big changes coming here. Think: a third through lane, new turn lanes in all directions, and updated traffic signals. Azimuth Contractors, LLC will handle the $1 million job.
💡 Between the Lines: Funding for all these projects comes from Gwinnett’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax—2017 for Stanley Road, 2023 for the others. That means residents are paying for them directly at the cash register.
📎 The Sources:
- Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners (Aug. 5, 2025 meeting)
- Georgia Department of Transportation
- ER Snell Contractor, Inc.
- Georgia Bridge and Concrete, LLC
- Azimuth Contractors, LLC
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
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And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
