Transportation Investment Act
Your Penny, Your Progress

Widening this 10 mile stretch of highway to four lanes has meant many challenges, but our engineers are happy to report that major construction has been completed on the south end (in Appling County). This includes tying in the intersection at the Plant Hatch Nuclear Power Plant and constructing new bridges at the Altamaha River and the Altamaha River Overflow, as well as Williams Creek and Cobb Creek.

The existing bridges at those locations were also rehabilitated and widened in anticipation of increased future traffic through the corridor. Note that the roadways have new rumble strips and lane striping with highly visible paint. You'll see bike lanes through certain points. 

Working our way northward toward Lyons (in Toombs County), you'll see crews doing culvert installation and shoulder work as they continue building the new lanes. With all traffic still in two lanes on this end of the project, drivers should keep alert for safety - the big vehicles in action are indeed interesting, but don't let them be a distraction! 

With this project, we're converting the interchange into a diverging diamond configuration and installing roundabouts where the ramps meet SR 32. The footings of the new bridge are up and our contractors are now focused on building up the area around the bridges. You can see on the west side of the interchange, tons and tons of earth and sand have been brought in to build a retaining wall and another one is going up on the east side. Also on the west side, the land that will make up a new roundabout intersection is being shaped.

On the east side, a web of rebar is going up for yet another retaining wall. Stacks of concrete panels await their installation, each one weighing 2,000 pounds.

Communication is key when teams are moving tons of sand and even more tons of concrete panels. Crew members use bulldozers and other large equipment to pack down the layers of earth and sand, but there are some areas where only a human will fit.

Check out the new roundabout behind Brewer Elementary School - it'll keep traffic moving, whether you're coming from Brookhaven Road or Roosevelt Street.

 

The new signals at the intersection of Buena Vista Road and Roosevelt Street/Annette Avenue are up and running. If you live in the area and have kids that walk to Brewer Elementary, be sure to show them how to use the new signal buttons to safely cross the street.

 

Area residents and traffic will have a little break before Phase 2 starts. Phase 2 involves the construction of two new bridges - including the railroad bridge. Keep watching for announcements. 

While it may not have seemed so to local residents, contractors for your new roundabout completed major construction rather quickly! Crews recently installed the signage, added shrubs to the island and painted high-visibility striping throughout the project boundaries.

 

Before reaching the intersection, drivers will know exactly which right turn to take to exit the roundabout.  You can see that the island has a low, slanted curb, so that large semi-trucks can maneuver through the roundabout and roll over the median a bit with no damage to either the vehicle or the island.

 

When entering the roundabout, be sure to look to the left and ensure you're in the clear. With no stop signs or signals, vehicles can go through the intersection more quickly - no more having to wait in line for everyone to take their turn one-at-a-time.