Representatives from Pierce, Ware and Brantley Counties met last week in Ware County to discuss resurrecting the old east bypass project, which was officially declared dead 10 years ago.
A feasibility study expanded the project to a perimeter road which would encircle Waycross. The new proposed perimeter road would relieve congestion through the city by providing an alternate route for big trucks.
The perimeter road would run through all three counties and would be built in phases.
Work for the three county commissions now centers on a joint resolution to be approved by each county commission.
“Everyone (from Ware County) seemed to be in favor of the project,” Ware County Manager James Shubert. “We’re working on the joint resolution from all three counties and the 15 commissioners signed on to present later to the Waycross City Commission to hopefully get it signed by all those members.”
“We have it on our agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting (held after press deadline),” said County Manager Raphel Maddox.
“The Brantley County Board of Commissioners will pass a resolution this week in support of that,” said County Manager Joey Cason. “All three parties agree it has the potential to be a good thing.”
Representing Ware County were Shubert, Clerk Melinda Brooks, Commissioners Leonard Burse, Jon Tindall, Barry Cox and Chairman Elmer Thrift.
Brantley County was represented by Cason, Chairman Skipper Harris, Commissioner Hal Herndon and Michael Brooks.
Representing Pierce County were Maddox, Chairman Neil Bennett, commissioners Troy Mattox and David Lowman and Clerk Donna Golding.
According to Shubert, the project was discussed with the Waycross City Commission and Ware Board of Education during their joint meeting earlier this fall.
Maddox stressed the proposal is just that — a proposal — and there would be changes before plans are finalized.
“The whole purpose of the meeting was to discuss the potential future of a by-pass road around the City of Waycross,” Cason said. “It will come through the edge of Brantley County and go through Pierce County as well.” The east bypass route would begin at Lairsey Crossing and would utilize Midway Church Road. It would include a new roadway and bridges across the Satilla River, crossing in to extreme western Brantley County coming out on U.S. Highway 82 near Woodard Chapel Church. The road would continue and link up with U.S. 1 near Aycock Road.
A west bypass road would utilize Hacklebarney and Cason Road and skirt Yellow Bluff with a new bridge across the river to Jamestown and then cross the U.S. 1 bypass and U.S. 1 main route west of the airport.
First discussed in 2002, the project entered the planning and design stage in 2005. It was presented to the public during a hearing in Ware County in 2012.
The project proposed at that time called for a $65 million bypass to include 5.5 miles of two-lane highway starting at approximately Farr’s Fine Furniture in Pierce County and extending to U.S. Highway 82.
A four-lane section would connect U.S 82 to U.S. Highway 1. The lanes would pass around Waycross to the east and end near the Walker-Jones Auto dealerships on U.S. Highway 1.
The project would have included the construction of bridges across the Satilla River and the railroad lines parallelling U.S. Highways 82 and 84.
The original proposal did not include any part in Brantley County.
The project was killed in the face of 62 percent public opposition to the proposal shortly before Christmas, 2015.
The next meeting of the three commissions is scheduled for Monday, December 1 at 10 a.m. in the second floor conference room of the Ware County Administration Building.
