Forsyth County, GDOT announce two-lane Matt bypass to relieve traffic

Forsyth County announced a planned two-lane roadway in the Matt community that will connect the intersection of Matt Highway (SR 369) and Dr. Bramblett Road to Bannister Road, creating a new route just under three-quarters of a mile long intended to ease congestion around the Matt Town Center entrance.

The route will extend north from Matt Highway, then turn east to cross Elmo Road before ending by creating a four-way intersection with the entrance to the Matt Town Center on Bannister Road. Forsyth County’s materials describe the link as a bypass roadway connecting Dr Bramblett Road and Bannister Road and identify the specific landings at Matt Highway/Dr. Bramblett and the Bannister Road-Matt Town Center junction.

District 1 Commissioner Kerry Hill framed the project as a targeted fix for a congested spot. Hill said, "This is probably one of the worst intersections in my district," and added, "There is an incredible amount of traffic that comes through here, and it's a really tough intersection without a lot of room to sort of maneuver around." He also noted, "It will give people on Elmo Road the opportunity to exit that way, rather than having to come through this intersection," saying officials hope the new alignment will provide alternate routing and relieve backups at the Bannister Road and Elmo Road intersection.

Funding for the bypass will come from the county's Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds. Forsyth County is coordinating with the Georgia Department of Transportation on the project; GDOT work tied to the plan will include an extension of an existing left-hand turn lane from Matt Highway onto Bannister Road to improve turning capacity at that intersection.

The county posted a video titled "VIDEO: Forsyth County Announces Multiple Traffic Improvements Surrounding Bannister Road/SR 369" that pairs the bypass announcement with other planned intersection work. Forsyth County’s presentation lists additional improvements around SR 369 (Matt Hwy) and John Burruss Road, and intersection work at Bannister and Elmo roads, and the county also shared the project notice on social media.

Key implementation details remain outstanding. The county has not published a project budget or the specific SPLOST allocation for this bypass; there is no published construction schedule, no firm contractor or bid timeline, no right-of-way or environmental permit information, and no detailed design specs beyond the designation "two-lane roadway." Chairman Alfred John delivered the 2026 State of the County address on Feb. 11, 2026, and the traffic-improvement video appears alongside that mid-February coverage; county officials and GDOT are the next contacts reporters will seek for cost, timeline, design plans, and traffic-study projections.