On Tuesday, October 13, the left turn from eastbound SR 316 onto Patrick Mill Road closed. Since then, Patrick Mill crosses the highway on a new bridge, three roundabouts handle the turns that the signal used to, and westbound drivers leave 316 on a ramp marked Exit 19. 11Alive reported that the interchange is open but still has detours and temporary traffic changes.

The new interchange is half finished, and it's also only one of several. On the Barrow County stretch of 316, Georgia DOT has finished interchanges at SR 81, SR 11 and SR 53. A second interchange carrying an SR 211 label, at Bethlehem Road, is under construction. Carl-Bethlehem Road and Kilcrease Road are being rebuilt under one contract, and Harry McCarty Road isn't scheduled for construction until 2030. If you drive 316 out of Winder, October 13 was the first of several changes you'll have to relearn.

How to Get Through Patrick Mill Right Now

Georgia DOT's traffic advisory for project 0010555 was carried by Monroe Local. It lays out the new pattern by direction of travel. The contractor on the shift is G. P. Enterprises.

Eastbound on 316, toward Athens. The old left turn onto SR 211 north and Patrick Mill north is closed. Instead:

1. Turn right at the existing signal at SR 316 and Patrick Mill Road.
2. Drive about 1,900 feet to a T-intersection with a stop sign, then turn left onto Patrick Mill Road.
3. At the first roundabout, take the first exit for Tom Miller Road or the second exit to keep heading north.
4. At the second roundabout, take the first exit to get back on SR 316 eastbound, or the second exit for SR 211 north and Patrick Mill Road north.

Westbound on 316, toward Lawrenceville. You can no longer turn left or right at the old Patrick Mill intersection. Everyone headed for SR 211 north, Patrick Mill Road or Tom Miller Road now takes the Exit 19 ramp. For SR 211 north, stay in the right lane at the roundabout. For Tom Miller Road or Patrick Mill Road south, use either of the two left-turn lanes, cross the bridge, and take the second exit at the second roundabout to reach a third one. From there, the first exit goes to Patrick Mill south and the second to Tom Miller.

Southbound on Patrick Mill and SR 211, toward 316. Traffic now shifts left onto the new road, goes through the first roundabout and crosses the bridge. To go east toward Athens, take the third exit at the second roundabout onto the new eastbound entrance ramp. For Tom Miller Road, Patrick Mill south, or 316 westbound, take the second exit to the third roundabout. Its first exit puts you on Patrick Mill Road, which leads to 316 westbound. Its second exit is Tom Miller.

The eastbound route explains why the interchange feels unfinished. Drivers headed east still turn at the old signal and loop back, because the ramp that will eventually replace that turn isn't built yet.

The Two Ramps That Aren't Open Yet

According to 11Alive, two pieces are still missing. The eastbound exit ramp to Patrick Mill isn't open, which is why the right turn at the signal remains. The westbound entrance ramp is still under construction too, so drivers coming from Patrick Mill follow a detour to reach 316 westbound. No separate opening date for either ramp has been announced.

GDOT gives two dates for the project as a whole. Its project page for the West Winder Bypass interchange says the project is expected to open to traffic in late 2027. GDOT's GeoPI project record lists a current completion date of July 20, 2027. These may be different milestones, and GDOT schedules move. Either way, the detours will likely last through much of 2027.

The scope includes one more change you'll run into. Tom Miller Road is being moved to the southwest as part of this phase. That's why Tom Miller now has its own exits on the roundabouts instead of meeting 316 the old way.

The Bypass This Exit Finishes

GDOT calls the Patrick Mill interchange Phase III of the West Winder Bypass, and the first two phases explain why Patrick Mill Road now carries a state route number.

Phase I, project 0006327, moved SR 211 over SR 8 and the railroad in Winder and onto the existing Patrick Mill Road. Phase II, project 0010554, rebuilt Patrick Mill as a four-lane divided highway. GDOT built the two phases together, from the old SR 211 near Blakey Plantation to just east of where Patrick Mill meets SR 316. GDOT records show E. R. Snell Contractor as the Phase I contractor, with a work-completion date of March 14, 2023.

The two earlier phases put SR 211 on a new four-lane road ending at a signal on 316. Phase III replaces that signal with a bridge and ramps, so the new road connects to the highway without a stoplight. GDOT's plan called for Phase III to follow the first two.

Why There Are Two SR 211 Interchanges on 316

The bypass moved SR 211 onto Patrick Mill Road, but GDOT is also building another interchange it calls SR 316/US 29 at SR 211, this one at Bethlehem Road. That's project 0010352, and it's separate from Exit 19.

According to GDOT's Bethlehem Road project page, the design-build contract went to ER Snell and Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering in February 2024. Construction began in December 2024, and substantial completion is expected in 2028.

So the label "SR 211 at 316" now points to two work zones on 316 in Barrow County. Patrick Mill is partly open and should be finished in 2027. Bethlehem Road started later and runs into 2028. If you see an SR 211 detour sign, check which of the two it's for.

The Rest of Barrow's 316 Rebuild, in One Table

GDOT's Transforming SR 316 program covers 31 projects from the Lawrenceville area toward Athens. They replace intersections with interchanges to turn much of the corridor into a limited-access freeway. 11Alive reported that the full overhaul is expected to continue into the next decade. These are the Barrow County projects and their status as of October 2026:

The Kilcrease Road project replaces the signal at 316 and Kilcrease with a grade-separated interchange. GDOT bundled it with the Carl-Bethlehem Road project into one design-build contract, which went to C.W. Matthews Contracting Company and Michael Baker International in May 2025. GDOT says that schedule may change, and the same is true of every date in the table.

Three Barrow interchanges are done. Patrick Mill finishes in 2027 and Bethlehem Road in 2028. Kilcrease Road is expected to reach substantial completion in 2029. Harry McCarty Road doesn't start construction until 2030, so the 316 work east of Winder will still be going after the current Patrick Mill detour is gone.

What the Next Few Years of 316 Look Like From Winder

Each interchange on the list will go through its own switchover, much like Patrick Mill did on October 13: a signal gets turned off, turns are restricted, and traffic moves onto new ramps while the remaining pieces are finished. GDOT's goal for the corridor, as 11Alive described it, is fewer crashes and smoother traffic once at-grade crossings become interchanges. GDOT says its roundabouts at Patrick Mill reduce conflict points and eliminate many left turns that can lead to crashes.

Until then, the route you'll actually drive depends on which projects are open that month. GDOT lets you follow each project on its own page. The Patrick Mill interchange page has a project map and an events calendar, and the corridor page links to every Barrow project in the table. For the Kilcrease and Carl-Bethlehem work, GDOT lists a project-team voicemail at 404-631-1733 and the email [email protected].

For now, the eastbound right turn at the old Patrick Mill signal and the detour to 316 westbound will stay in place until GDOT opens the two remaining ramps.

When an interchange opens near you, it can change how long your drive to work takes and how close your house feels to the highway. If you're curious how the new Patrick Mill connection fits into your home's value, Athens Property Shop can walk you through what nearby sales show. Start with the instant home valuation and we'll go from there.