Politics & Government
GDOT Told Bidders For Engineering Design Services For U.S. 441 Widening And Bishop Bypass It Need Plan Validation
GDOT told a gathering of citizens at Oconee Veterans Park on Nov. 30 that "we do not have a preferred alignment."
While representatives of the Georgia Department of Transportation last week emphasized the lack of firm plans for the future route of a widened U.S. 441 in southern Oconee County, the Request for Qualifications issued late last year for engineering design services presents at least a slightly different picture.
Brad Saxon, assistant state program delivery engineer for GDOT, told a gathering of citizens at Oconee Veterans Park on Nov. 30 that “we do not have a preferred alignment” for the route and “we are starting work anew.”
On Oct. 15, 2014, however, GDOT issued a Request for Qualifications for engineering design services for the project, and it told bidders that the scope of work for the project called for “concept validation and revising.”
The RFQ stated that concept development for the project would include “Validate current Concept Report” and “Revise Concept Report if necessary.”
The preliminary concept that GDOT released at a private meeting with county officials in June showed a bypass of Bishop running in a wide arch east of the city and the highway deviating west of its current route from Bishop to Farmington.
For more on the story, with a video clip from Saxon, go to Oconee County Observations.
Pictured: GDOT’s Saxon.