Roger Lackey of the Whitfield County Public Works Department leaps out of a rusty culvert on Beaverdale Road.
photo by Mitch Talley
The damaged side of the culvert as captured by Roger Lackey’s cell phone.
photo by Mitch Talley
The bottoms of these culverts on Scott Road have been eaten away by rust. The road will be closed for at least six months to replace the damaged structures, beginning Friday
photo by Mitch Talley
Whitfield County motorists will soon see dividends from the recently passed SPLOST.
Two projects to replace rusted-out corrugated metal culverts under two county roads will force the closure of Scott Road on Friday, April 17 and Beaverdale Road on Wednesday, May 6.
Because of the size, engineering design and environmental concerns when working in an open stream, construction is expected to take several months. The result, however, will be much safer and longer-lasting structures to transport water under the roads, according to Whitfield County Public Works Director DeWayne Hunt.
Mr.
Hunt said the Georgia Department of Transportation had reduced weight limits for vehicles traveling both roads to 3 tons or less, but after their bi-annual inspection of all structures in Dalton and Whitfield County, the state sent the county a letter stating the two roads must be closed for safety reasons until repairs can be made.
Both locations have multiple corrugated metal pipes that carry the water under the road. These pipes were placed years ago, and over time the bottom of the pipes rust which causes the pipe to slowly collapse under the weight of fill materials and traffic.
"Design work was done on the Beaverdale project over the winter, a bid package is due out in May, and construction will begin as soon as we select a contractor,” Mr. Hunt said. “They will mobilize and begin work."
Hunt anticipates at least a three-month construction window before the road is back open.
“We understand that Beaverdale Road is one of the top 10 busiest roads in the county, and I apologize for the inconvenience to commuters and residents,” Mr. Hunt said. “Unfortunately not all projects can be done while traffic is flowing through a work zone. The cost to place a temporary bridge or bypass would have possibly doubled the construction cost."
The Beaverdale project (as well as a culvert on East Nance Springs Road) will actually be paid for with some of the last remaining funds from the SPLOST that began in 2007, while the Scott project will be the first of several badly needed culvert upgrades to be funded by the SPLOST just approved by voters in March.
Meanwhile, Scott Road could be closed for at least six months because the closure was unexpected and no preliminary work had been completed by the county. After an in-house study by the county engineering department soon, county officials will then have a discussion to decide what type of culvert to install.
The county decided to have a more durable concrete box culvert installed on Beaverdale, but Mr. Hunt said they are still in the process of deciding exactly how to proceed on Scott. “It could be a small bridge or a box culvert," he said. “We’ve got to try to figure out the most economical way to proceed. It is a secondary road, with light traffic as compared to Beaverdale - a few residents and some commuter traffic from Catoosa County. We want to proceed with a long term solution and as economical as possible, too.”
While the two roads are closed for construction, the county will place detour signs to lead traffic around the areas.
“We are closing Scott Road this coming Friday, and the Beaverdale closing will come in early May,” Mr. Hunt said. “We’re going to work to make the detours as easy as possible, minimize the construction window and get both roads opened as soon as possible."