County officials have put the East Fayetteville Bypass back on the front burner, and as plans for the project continue to develop, citizens are likely to hear more about it in the near future.
The Fayette County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 7 to approve an amendment in the design contract, and Public Works Director Phil Mallon suggested scheduling a public meeting as soon as possible to further update affected property owners and others interested in the project.
“They have decisions they need to make involving their lives, so I think it would be appropriate to get all of this information out there,” Mallon said about those who live around the projected path of the bypass, adding that he gets calls from citizens asking for updates on a regular basis.
The road was conceived a number of years ago and was originally designated as a federal aid project, but later some questions arose about its funding and support.
In the spring of this year at its retreat, the commissioners stated that the bypass was a high priority and should move forward, and county staff worked over the summer to refine its scope, Mallon said.
Perhaps the biggest move was the decision to get out of the federal aid program and fund the project 100 percent through the county’s special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST).
“As a result of that the scope of the project changed substantially,” said Mallon.
While revisiting their agreement with the design engineer, county officials clarified several details regarding services, he added.
At present the bypass consists of five separate projects. The southern end is proposed for the four-way intersection of South Jeff Davis Drive, Northbridge Road and County Line Road, Mallon said. The project would use existing roadway north on County Line Road to its intersection with County Line Court, and from there a new road would proceed north to the intersection of Ga. Highway 54 and Corinth Road, continuing along Corinth all the way to where it presently intersects Ga. Highway 85.
The project as designed would include the construction of two bridges as well as the realignment of a sharp curve on Corinth Road near the northern end, Mallon said.
A couple of commissioners commented during Mallon’s presentation at the meeting that reworking the bypass to have it line up with Ga. Highway 279, less than a half-mile farther north, seems to make a lot more sense.
Mallon noted that the county has looked several times in the past at doing just that, which he agreed would be a “desirable” alternative.
“The only problem is the cost and impact,” he said, “which would be substantial.”
The reasons he gave for that impact were the area’s varying topography and the existence of a number of business and homes along the route that would be impacted. He said that his staff can look into it again if that is what the board wants, adding that a redesign of that intersection is not included in the current design contract.
