The first phase of construction of an alternate route in and out of the Oak Ridge Trail/Farr’s Community should begin soon.
Commissioners approved the low bid of Underground Excavating in the amount of $351,720 for the first phase of the project. The vote came at the county commission’s monthly meeting last Tuesday.
The work will include land clearing, grub work and right-of-way preparation for the new road.
Two other bids were received. Thrift Brothers bid $382,058 and SEC Site Works bid $420,250.
When the entire project is completed, plans call for the linking of Timber Lane with its intersection of Screven Avenue and Oak Ridge Trail.
Timber Lane runs adjacent to the railroad coming off Midway Church Road near Lairsey Crossing at the Beach Timber Company (formerly Ace Pole Company).
A bridge may be needed across Hacklebarney Creek to complete the project.
Ann Purcell, Pierce County’s district representative on the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) State Board helped to secure funding for the project.
GDOT announced last July it was awarding the county a Local Maintenance Improvement/Local Road Assistance (LMIG/LRA) Grant for the project. The county received $1,039,145.39 in LMIG/LRA funds.
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.
