SR172 Resurfacing Well Underway

By David Stephens, WSGC Radio, Elberton, GA

The first phase of the State Route 172 resurfacing project is now underway.

Work began in Bowman last week with the construction of two-foot wide shoulders on each side of the roadway. 

Georgia DOT Spokesperson Teri Pope says the addition of those shoulders will immensely improve the safety on SR 172.

“Right now you only have a few inches of paved road on the other side of the outer line”, explained Pope. “This extra two feet of width will give more recovery area, and in other areas where we have done this; it has greatly improved safety and resulted in few crashes.”

A majority of the work will occur Mondays through Fridays beginning at 8:30am, as weather permits. 

There are however, restrictions in place that will not allow lane closures during morning or evening peak drive times in Bowman and Hartwell, or during peak times at South Hart Elementary School when school is back in session.

Pope says that the rest of the resurfacing work will take place once the shoulders are completed on both sides of the highway.

“Once we get the shoulders finished we will go in and start patching, removing the damaged sections of roadway that are deeper, and once we do those deep patches, then you will see the final resurfacing”, said Pope. “This results in this project being more expensive than your typical resurfacing project.”

SR 172 was last resurfaced in 1998, and according to the Georgia DOT, the pavement surface is damaged and needs to be replaced. 

The 17.35 mile long project was awarded to E.R. Snell Contractor based out of Snellville, Georgia at a cost of $3.2 million.

The project completion date is slated for January 31st, 2014, but Pope expects the work to be finished before the construction season ends in November.