"Unforeseen" Conditions Snag Old Alabama Road Widening: GDOT

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JOHNS CREEK, GA -- The Georgia Department of Transportation is begging for your patience as it works to complete the widening project on Old Alabama Road.

The Georgia Department of Transportation began construction in May 2015 on Old Alabama Road between Buice Road and S.R. 141/Medlock Bridge Road.

The project includes widening Old Alabama Road from three to four lanes separated by a 20-foot wide median. A five-foot wide sidewalk will be constructed next to the eastbound lanes and 10-foot multi-use trail will be built adjacent to the westbound lanes. A left turn lane will be added on Medlock Bridge Road to Old Alabama Road.

Adding an additional left turn lane on Medlock Bridge Road northbound to Old Alabama Road westbound requires addition of a second receiving lane on Old Alabama Road westbound.

This new westbound lane will become a right turn lane onto Buice Road where a high volume of traffic turns are tallied. Old Alabama Road eastbound will maintain the existing two lanes while extending the storage capacity for the dual left-turn lanes.

The original completion date was October 2016, but due to "unforeseen" plan revisions and field conditions, the contractor has requested additional time.

"However, the contractor is striving to meet the original completion date, and believes with good weather they can complete project before the end of the year," GDOT said.

During construction, the Georgia DOT identified unsuitable soil in the shoulder where the new road will be built. GDOT obtained soil samples on Feb. 8, and those samples were shipped to an independent laboratory for testing.

In the meantime, contractors continued to work on drainage improvements in other areas of the project when weather allowed such work to take place.

On Feb. 26, GDOT developed a plan for addressing the unsuitable material and began contract negotiations. The contractor and the state agency agreed to a price on March 8, and the contractor resumed work in the area on March 10.

The plan modification requires excavation of the existing material and construction of a rock embankment at an additional cost of $238,000, which will be paid by GDOT.

“We apologize for the inconvenience the construction is causing the community," said GDOT District Engineer Kathy Zahul. "Please bear with us and our contractor as we strive to deliver a high quality project that will reduce delays and congestion."

Now that the work appears to be back on schedule, residents can expect traffic shifts and lane closures as contractors work to complete the project.

Future work involves:

• Placing the rock embankment on Old Alabama Road;
• Placing the grade aggregate base;
• Building the curb and gutter, and completing the application of the first two layers of of asphalt in April;
• Constructing the new alignment of Buice Road in May; and
• Shifting traffic on the new portion of Old Alabama Road and onto the new alignment of Buice Road in May.

The city will assume ownership of Old Alabama Road once the project is complete, as the road lies in Johns Creek's city limits.

For more information about the project, email Annalysce Baker at abaker@dot.ga.gov or call the Georgia DOT Area 2 Office at 770-528-3238.

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Image via Shutterstock