Local Business Owner questions traffic study for proposed Rock City Gondola project

FLINTSTONE, Ga. (WDEF) – A woman challenging the proposed gondola project at Rock City says she has filed an inquiry questioning the accuracy of the project’s traffic study.

Last December, Rock City conducted a traffic study to evaluate how the proposed gondola would affect traffic traveling up Lookout Mountain.

According to the study, the gondola would reduce traffic on the mountain while causing only a slight increase in traffic through St. Elmo.

However, Haley Shealy said she believes the numbers do not accurately reflect the project’s potential impact.

“My community and I believe transparency benefits everyone. The public deserves complete information before permanent changes are made to Lookout Mountain. We need to start asking these hard questions before construction begins and before the habitat is permanently altered, because once Lookout Mountain has changed, it can never be undone.”

Shealy also said she is questioning whether Walker County underreported traffic numbers to avoid additional oversight from the State of Georgia.

She is asking officials to verify the traffic data used in the study before any decisions are made about the proposed project.

The future of the gondola project remains under review as questions surrounding the traffic study continue to be raised.