Less than a week after Hurricane Helene crossed into Southwest Georgia, state routes are passable, just a handful of intersections need repair and debris removal is about to get underway.

"We're in pretty good shape," said Georgia Department of Transportation Southwest District Engineer Scott Chambers.

Hurricane Helene arrived in Georgia in the early morning hours of Sept. 27. Daybreak revealed almost 100 impassable state routes due to debris or power lines in the road or flooding and more than 100 damaged traffic signal heads. Lowndes County and those east of Interstate 75, including Cook, Berrien, Atkinson and Coffee, were heavily damaged. The GDOT district covers 31 counties and borders Florida.

Recovery efforts started immediately and have been aided by Georgia DOT employees from other areas of the state and contractors. The majority of signals are now up and running, some on generators until power is restored. Timber poles will be installed at four intersections to make them operational until they can be rebuilt with mast arms, Chambers said.

Georgia law says an intersection with non-functioning traffic signals should be treated as a four-way stop. Georgia DOT installed temporary stop signs on construction barrels at some intersections where signals are gone or not working, like busy State Route (SR) 32 and SR 206 in Douglas. However, some drivers continue to drive through without stopping. Directions and tips on navigating a four-way stop are available in Section Five of the Georgia Drivers' Manual at (https://online.flipbuilder.com/hatf/kxrd/).

Georgia DOT crews continued pushing debris off state routes Tuesday, but there are seven locations they can't touch because power lines are in the trees. The roads are passable, but drivers should remain alert for obstructions and be prepared to slow down or stop.

With the progress made in clearing, a contractor plans to start hauling debris from state routes Wednesday. The trailers used by the contractor are much larger than Georgia DOT dump trucks. Please use caution when approaching the trucks and avoid crowding them.

Residents who have questions about debris removal on city streets or county roads should contact their local Emergency Management Agency.