A Jan. 21 vote by the Coweta County Commission approved a bid to realign Howard Road that had been rejected in December after the price exceeded the estimated cost to straighten the roadway partially situated in Senoia.

A December low bid by McCoy Grading was rejected by commissioners after finding it overpriced.

The realignment is designed to straighten a curve on Howard Road in east Coweta to accommodate vehicles traveling at 35 miles per hour. Commissioners instructed county staff to re-negotiate the price and scope of the project.

The orignial bid by McCoy Grading was $823,581. The renegotiated bid was $550,911 and was unanimously approved by commissioners after the full-depth reclamation portion of the project was removed. That portion will be added later this year.

A portion of the road is situated in Senoia while the road section nearest to Ga. Highway 16 is situated in unincorporated Coweta County.

County Director of Transportation and Engineering Tod Handley during the initial presentation a year ago said Howard Road serves as the primary employee and truck access for the Winpak plant in Senoia.

One section of Howard Road contains a horizontal curve that does not currently meet the design requirements for a 25 miles per hour roadway and trucks traveling through this section have difficulty maintaining their lane of travel, Handley said.

Handley said the project will include the realignment of the substandard horizontal curve to meet a minimum design speed of 35 miles per hour and a culvert design for a stream crossing that also occurs in this section of roadway.

The project will begin approximately 1,600 feet north of Hwy. 16 and end approximately 500 feet north of Cumberland Trail.