Rights-of-way have been secured and cost estimates could come soon for the construction of an alternate route in and out of the Oak Ridge Trail/Farr’s Community.
County Chairman Neal Bennett said the last rights-of-way for the project have been secured and the county hopes to have a cost estimate on the project soon.
Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) announced last July it was awarding the county a Local Maintenance Improvement/ Local Road Assistance (LMIG/LRA) Grant for the project. The county will receive $1,039,145.39 in LMIG/LRA funds.
Ann Purcell, Pierce County’s district representative on the GDOT, helped secure the funds. Since that time, County Attorney Adam Craft has worked to get the rights-ofway for the road.
The project will include paving and other improvements to seven tenths of a mile of roadway parallel to the railroad along Timber Lane and Screven Avenue. The new route will access the community from the Midway Church Road near Ace Pole Company.
Commissioners have been trying for several years to find an alternative exit for residents in the community. There is currently only one way in and out of the area via the railroad crossing on Oak Ridge Trail. Access and exit are already a problem since trains routinely block the crossing — sometimes for more than an hour — waiting to get into Rice Yard in Waycross.
