Contractors are making progress on the multi-phase U.S. Highway 84 improvement project, but the work has been slowed by torrential rains and utility relocations.
Kyle Spivey of East Coast Asphalt said paving operations are underway on County Farm Road and will be soon on the new portion of Shiloh Road barring wet weather.
East Coast was awarded the $4.35 million project last August.
“We’ve been making progress, but we were held up by some utility relocations that were more challenging than we first thought and then we had torrential rains every day for a while,” he said.
The work is also governed by contract requirements. The contract only permits work outside of school traffic hours in the morning and afternoons. Spivey said most of the County Farm Road paving will be done on weekends and between school traffic hours.
The project includes three intersection improvements along U.S. Highway 84 between County Farm Road and Owens Crossing.
New signals will be placed at U.S. Highway 84 and County Farm Road.
A new road, Shiloh Road Extension, would be constructed from U.S. Highway 84, across to County Farm Road behind the United Market to tie in with the existing intersection of County Farm Road and Shiloh Road.
A second northbound lane would be constructed on County Farm Road from Shiloh Road to the entrance driveway of Pierce County Middle School.
An additional phase will include a center two-way left-turn lane to U.S. Highway 84 between County Farm Road and Knox Road and an additional turn lane at New School Road/Owens Road.
Due to its proximity to both the high school and middle school and United Market and a Dollar General store the area features high traffic flow. All three areas have been the site of 60 accidents and two fatalities in recent years.
The improvements would improve traffic flow and safety at these intersections by separating turning traffic from the higher speed through traffic on U.S. Highway 84.
The project is being funded as part of the Transportation Investment Act (TIA). The Southern Georgia Region, including Pierce and 17 other counties in the area, approved a 10year one percent sales tax to fund regional and local transportation improvements. The Southern Georgia Region passed the sales tax in 2018.
TIA projects are funded using the regional sales tax.
