We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, goes the old saying.
After the approval of a four-year Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax in June, Whitfield County motorists will soon be able to do just that, since a total of $9,396,450 has been set aside for public works project, including approximately $4.9 million toward bridges and culverts, $3 million for paving and $1.5 million for equipment.
“We have done our homework so that we utilize our portion of the SPLOST in the most efficient way possible,” Whitfield County Public Works Director DeWayne Hunt said. “We will never have enough funding to fix everything at one time. We have to invest in the right place at the right time, and that’s what we’re working hard to do.”
To help stretch those SPLOST dollars as far as possible, the county has been working with Heath and Lineback Engineers, Inc., in a multi-phase study since 2017, working to identify which bridges are worthy of repair and which ones should be replaced. The county will go to bid with four projects later this year.
“Unexpected things can happen,” Mr. Hunt explained. “We thought the Dawnville Road bridge was going to be a rehab, but further study determined that repair cost was not a good investment.”
Among the bridges slated to be repaired are Beaverdale Road over Coahulla Creek, Houston Valley Road over East Chickamauga Creek, Lower Dug Gap Road over Swamp Creek and Old Tilton Road over Swamp Creek. The intent is to complete a structural repair that removes weight limit restrictions.
Replacement of deteriorated culverts is also slated to begin later this year, according to Mr. Hunt.
“We have worked with Southeastern Engineering, Inc., on previous projects,” he said, “and have asked them to provide bid documents for 10 major culvert replacement projects.”
County expenditures for road paving are prioritized just like other projects, Mr. Hunt said. “Last year we invested in a pavement study that ‘X-rayed’ our road network and has provided us with a relative score for each road,” he said. “On our software we see green roads, yellow roads and unfortunately some red roads. We can analyze roughness, cracking, potholes and overall condition so that we can prioritize a resurfacing list.”
While it would be nice, it’s impossible to pave all 711 miles of the county’s roads at the same time. Mr. Hunt estimates that it would cost $40-50 million.