The road to South Pinetree Boulevard’s now pending improvements has been a long and slow-going one.

And just because the Georgia Department of Transportation has given the approval for the improvement plans doesn’t mean it will be fast-tracked. This may still take a while to happen.

Yet just getting to this point, where there is a plan ready to go and the money to do it, is a welcome sight.

Residents along South Pinetree were adamantly against three-laning the road and vocal about their opposition. So aside from turn lanes at key intersections, the road — if the plan is followed — will remain two-laned. And, as many residents also asked, it will be resurfaced.

Originally, the plans drawn up for South Pinetree called for a three-lane section. But eventually, the county ceded the project to the city. The county received $3 million from the state for work on the road, but the rights-of-way were a mix belonging to the city and county. The DOT required an agreement between the city and the county, and the rights-of-way were turned over to the city.

So what was initially a plan for the county became the domain and responsibility of the city — and then the fun began.

Possible designs, including the original three-lane concept for the county, were floated. Residents along the area rejected the three-lane notion. Even a former city engineer who lived in the area opposed it.

That was nearly a year ago.

But after much back-and-forth, too much, perhaps, there is now a plan that meets muster. There had been worry that the state would pull back its $3 million largesse if the original plans were changed. 

Yet in a meeting recently with city officials, state DOT planning director Jay Roberts, a former state representative from Ocilla, and Paul Tanner, the state planning administrator, signed off on the South Pinetree work. 

What will transpire is a roundabout at South Pinetree’s intersection with Magnolia. As a traffic calming device, the state DOT has looked favorably upon the use of roundabouts. The plan calls for sidewalks along South Pinetree from Providence Plaza to Magnolia; left-turn lanes at intersections with West Jackson Street, South MLK Drive and at the former Southwestern State Hospital entrance; and … drum roll … resurfacing of the South Pinetree stretch from West Jackson to Old Monticello Road. 

Total costs are projected to be closer to $3.1 million, so the city will make up the difference between the $3 million in state funding and the final tally.

When work is completed, the hopes for a safer road that meets the residents’ needs may be realized. Before then, there will be bumps along the way with the expected construction, but at least we have now gotten to this point.