In 2024, the Statesboro Police Department responded to a total of 1,355 traffic crashes within city limits. Combined with 73 additional crash investigations handled by the Georgia State Patrol, Statesboro recorded 1,428 reported collisions last year—a figure that underscores the persistent challenges of traffic safety in one of Georgia’s fastest-growing small cities.
The city’s annual police report identified the top five crash-prone intersections, all of which are located on Veterans Memorial Parkway, commonly known as the bypass. Leading the list was Fair Road at Veterans Memorial Parkway, with 135 crashes in 2024 alone. Other hotspots included:
- Veterans Memorial Parkway & Lanier Drive: 88 crashes
- Veterans Memorial Parkway & Northside Drive East: 74 crashes
- Veterans Memorial Parkway & South Main Street: 59 crashes
- Veterans Memorial Parkway & Brannen Street: 53 crashes
The concentration of incidents along the bypass has renewed attention on a long-discussed proposal: a two-lane roundabout at Fair Road and the bypass, designed by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) as part of a larger safety overhaul. First presented publicly at a June 2024 city council work session, the plan received the full backing of Mayor Jonathan McCollar, City Council and City Manager Charles Penny.
GDOT proposes traffic circle at Fair Road/Bypass intersection, Council supports
“You’re taking a chance every time you get on it,” Penny said at the time, referencing how the bypass is often treated like a high-speed expressway, despite cutting through key residential and commercial corridors. The roundabout, combined with raised medians and improved access controls along Fair Road, is intended to slow traffic, reduce conflict points, and lower the risk of severe crashes—particularly dangerous T-bone collisions.
In the meantime, the city has bolstered traffic operations internally. The Roadway Assist (RA) program, staffed by college interns, handled more than 2,200 calls in 2024, including 1,381 assists with public roadway crashes and 289 responses to stranded motorists. The program allows sworn officers to focus on higher-priority incidents while maintaining coverage for non-emergency traffic issues.
Despite this progress, the roundabout project remains in the early stages of development. According to a June 2025 update from GDOT District Communications Officer Jill Nagel, the project—titled SR 67 @ SR 67 Bypass/SR 73 Bypass (PI# 0020931)—is still in concept development, which includes traffic forecasting, environmental assessments, stakeholder engagement, and cost analysis. Federal funding for preliminary engineering is scheduled for Fiscal Year 2026, but no formal timeline for construction has been established.
A previous estimate suggested the full project could take three to five years to complete, assuming no delays in funding or environmental clearance.
While the roundabout project remains years away from construction, it was proposed with safety as its core goal—specifically to reduce the number and severity of crashes at one of the city’s most dangerous intersections. In the meantime, local programs like Roadway Assist and targeted enforcement will continue to help manage traffic issues along the bypass.
