All the political and environmental talk about the West Fayetteville Bypass notwithstanding, Phase 1 of the three-phase project — the portion that will run from Sandy Creek Road down to Lester Road — will likely be completed by mid-November.
The project will include the installation of a traffic signal at its multi-lane intersection with Ga. Highway 54.
There was talk last week at the meeting of the Fayette County Commission to proceed with completing the intersection at Sandy Creek Road, but Fayette County Administrator Jack Krakeel on Monday said conversations with county public works staff determined the small intersection project should wait until the entire Phase 1 portion of the roadway is complete.
So what will the bypass look like as it ties in to Sandy Creek Road on the north side of the project and to Lester Road on the south side?
For starters, it means installing a traffic signal where the bypass crosses Hwy. 54 just east of Huiet Road and completing the surfacing work on the south side of the Hwy. 54 so that the bypass curves to the east and wraps into Lester Road a short distance from Cleveland Elementary School.
And while nearly all three eventual phases of the bypass will be a two-lane road, that will not be the case where the bypass crosses Hwy. 54.
Along with the traffic signal, the southbound bypass on the north side of Hwy. 54 and the northbound bypass on the south side of Hwy. 54 will both have a left turn lane, a right turn lane and two direct-through lanes. The northbound bypass on the north side of Hwy. 54 and the southbound bypass on the south side will each have two lanes.
The roadway will continue to be a divided four-lane road for approximately one-third mile on the north side of Hwy. 54 and for approximately one-half mile on the south side, according to Public Works Director Phil Mallon.
Krakeel said permits have been obtained and the contract has been awarded for the one-half mile section of Phase 1 that will link Hwy. 54 to Lester Road. That work will begin soon and should be completed sometime between late-October and mid-November, Krakeel said.
Once completed, there will be several alterations that accompany the project in order for Phase 1 to become fully functional and open to traffic.
• On the north side, the bypass will wrap into Sandy Creek Road, necessitating the installation of a stop sign on northbound Sandy Creek as it approaches the bypass, the first such sign along the road’s length. Krakeel said linking the bypass to Sandy Creek can likely be accomplished over a weekend.
• On the south side, the opening of the bypass will mean the closure of Huiet Road from Hwy. 54 down to Old Chappel Lane. The commercial center at the corner will have its ingress and egress point moved to the bypass approximately 500 feet from the intersection with Hwy. 54.
• Also on the south side, the current intersection of Heritage Farm Lane/Lester Road at Huiet Road will be reconfigured. A short section of Lester Road immediately east of Huiet Road will be eliminated, making way for an as yet unnamed section of road to be extended from the Heritage Farm Lane/Huiet Road intersection and arc over a short distance to the bypass.
And also on the south side, the current Huiet Road/Waterlace Way intersection a short distance south of Lester will be reconfigured so that Waterlace Way intersects with Lester Road at the point where the Phase 1 project end near the Jehovah’s Witness Church just west of Cleveland Elementary.
