Officials Break Ground on SR17 Widening

highway 17

By Charlie Bauder, WNEG Radio, Toccoa

From Hartwell, Governor Deal made his way to the Currahee Campus of North Georgia Technical College in Stephens County to officially break ground on the widening of SR17.

Deal told the crowd of state and local officials Wednesday a four-lane highway  from Toccoa to I-85 will improve accessibility to this part of the state, which he says is key to economic development.

“If you are going to have businesses, especially manufacturers, they need to have ready access to get their raw materials in and their finished products out,” said Deal.  “This road will afford that to those who are currently here, and you already have several that are here and will benefit from this road being in existence, but it will also a magnet, in my opinion, to draw more industry and more manufacturers to this part of northeast Georgia.”

In addition, Governor Deal announced that SR17 has been placed on the state’s official “Freight Corridor Network,” which the State Transportation Board adopted last week.  Deal says the Freight Corridor Network allows the state to prioritize projects in order to funnel state transportation resources and funding.

“I think that is altogether appropriate because there are projects that are very high in priority and many times, they are very expensive,” said Deal.

Work to clear the route for the new SR17 began in June.   C.W. Matthews Contracting of Marietta is constructing the project at a cost of $66.2 million. 

“It is a big moment for Stephens County, but also for this northeast Georgia area,” said Stephens County Commissioner Dean Scarborough   “It is (also) a big moment for Highway 17 up and down the corridor.  I know there are some communities down 17 that very much want to connect with the four-lane access just like we wanted to for many, many years.”

The entire project is scheduled to be completed by May 31, 2016.