Work began in June along Sandy Creek Road on the initial section of Phase 2 of the West Fayetteville Bypass that will connect to Eastin Road before continuing north to Ga. Highway 92. That work is more evident today with tree removal and grading activities in the area of the intersection of Sandy Creek Road and Tillman Road that will extend the bypass some 3,000 feet to the north on its way to Eastin Road.
The most obvious road construction activities are found at the Sandy Creek Road and Tillman Road junction where a new intersection is being installed. Crews have completed a majority of that work and are now working to grade the area further to the north, a section that parallels Tillman Road for approximately 3,000 feet.
Simultaneous with the grading along Tillman has been the removal of trees along the right-of-way. That work, said county project manager Carlos Christian, involves removing trees from the east side of Sandy Creek Road just north of Phase 1 all the way to Eastin Road. Christian last week said approximately 95 percent of the trees have been removed.
Some of the large trees along the first 3,000 feet of Tillman Road had to be removed due to the required grading to install the bypass, Christian said. While not part of the new roadway, that section of Tillman Road will become an easement area and the grading work necessary to install the easement would do sufficient damage to the root systems so that the trees would eventually die and have to be removed, said Christian.
The new roadway ends its parallel route with the existing Tillman Road approximately 3,000 feet north of the Sandy Creek Road intersection. Tillman at that point turns to the northwest while the new roadway will continue in a more northerly direction for approximately a quarter-mile where it will intersect with Eastin Road.
Required work on the grade of the road in that area will mean additional time to complete that portion of the project, Christian said. The section of roadway from the curve on Tillman and on to Eastin will require a significant amount of fill dirt to bring the grade up 4-6 feet from where currently sits, Christian said.
Construction on the Sandy Creek Road to Eastin Road section is expected to be open for traffic sometime next fall, depending on weather conditions.
The second and final section of Phase 2 will extend from Eastin Road to West Bridge Road at Ga. Highway 92. Negotiations to acquire the right-of-way for the Eastin/West Bridge section are ongoing.
Christian said previously that the final section is expected to go to bid later this year with construction expected to be completed approximately two years from the time of the contract award.
Christian said some simultaneous construction could occur in the two sections, though the phase north of Eastin Road is primarily in the right-of-way acquisition stage.
Phase 2 of the bypass totals 4.5 miles, running from approximately a half-mile south of the Tillman Road/Sandy Creek Road intersection north to the intersection of Hwy. 92 and West Bridge Road.
