Change Order Approved for Williams Farm Drive Project

A project to repave and repair a roughly half-mile stretch of Williams Farm Drive will cost the City of Dacula more than expected.

Last month, the city awarded an $184,760 contract to Allied Paving for the project, which covers 2,170 linear feet of roadway from the area of 3100 Williams Farm Drive to the end of the cul-de-sac. The problem, according to Dacula City Administrator Jim Osborn, is sub-grade soil in such poor condition that it is unsuitable for proper compaction. Once crews began work, they discovered sandy, loamy material -- a mixture of sand, topsoil and organic matter.

“We think it was partially used for a trash pit,” Osborn said.

In order to create a suitable base upon which to lay asphalt, crews must excavate the roadway to a depth of about four feet and add a layer of stone to build what Osborn described as a “bridge” between the bad soil and the asphalt. That solution, Osborn said, should provide a stable roadbed that will support asphalt and heavier vehicles such as buses and garbage trucks.

“It is what it is,” Osborn said. “It was just bad, bad material.”

The council unanimously approved the change order for an amount not to exceed $46,926 though officials expect the changes will cost approximately half that amount.

In other business, the council authorized the city to advertise for construction bids for a road improvement project for Mobley Drive, Superior Drive and Laura Lane. The .

Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks said the project will cover approximately 5,000 linear feet of roadway and will be funded through SPLOST proceeds.