County working on major area road projects
Bypass, Zion Church Road projects planned
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
It’s a road project that Jackson County leaders know should happen — a bypass of downtown Braselton and Hoschton.
The key question, however, is where the proposed bypass on Ga. Hwy. 53 should be located.
It’s a question that Jackson County’s capital projects manager admits he doesn’t have an answer to right now.
“We don’t have an alignment in mind,” said Don Clerici.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners is slated to discuss on Monday, March 17, a proposed contract with Heath and Lineback Engineers for preliminary engineering and design of the Braselton-Hoschton Bypass. The proposed contract will cost $266,000.
The concept of a bypass of downtown Braselton and Hoschton has been discussed for several years, but was never funded by state or federal transportation agencies.
Hwy. 53 runs directly through the downtowns of the two neighboring cities. Widening the state highway through the area hasn’t been considered as a viable option, since it would affect several historical buildings in Braselton and Hoschton.
Last year, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners asked the Georgia Department of Transportation to move forward with the project. The state agency later identified the bypass as a long-range project.
Jackson County plans to use funds from the 2008 Economic Development Bond Program to finance the preliminary design and traffic engineering for the bypass. That preliminary work, if approved by commissioners, could take 12 months to complete.
“We feel so strongly about it that we’re going to advance the preliminary engineering with bond financing,” Clerici said.
However, Jackson County officials have not identified a potential path for the Braselton-Hoschton Bypass, he emphasized.
Clerici said the preliminary engineering and design will not only identify a potential corridor for the proposed bypass, but also allow that area to be protected from future developments.
The Hwy. 53 project will begin at I-85 and end at Tapp Wood Road, near the Jackson-Barrow county line.
Jackson County leaders plan to work closely with Braselton and Hoschton officials on the proposed bypass, Clerici said. At least four public meetings are planned, with the first possibly in the fall, he added.
ZION CHURCH ROAD PROJECT
Another major transportation project in Braselton is the realignment of Zion Church Road, which runs parallel with I-85 from Ga. Hwy. 124 to Hwy. 53.
Jackson County used funds from its 2004 Economic Development Road Program to pay for initial engineering and some property acquisition of the first phase of the Zion Church Road project. The commissioners may use 2008 bonds to fund the remaining portions of the first phase.
The commissioners are slated to decide on Monday a proposal to renew the current engineering and design contract for Zion Church Road with Moreland Altobelli Associates for an additional $348,370.
Phase 1 calls for realigning Zion Church Road from Tom White Road at its intersection with Ga. Hwy. 124 to a new intersection on Hwy. 53, just south a new retail center.
Phase 2 includes extending Zion Church Road past that new intersection to an undeveloped area behind the Braselton Library, and connecting to a realignment of Jesse Cronic Road at Hwy. 124.
Both phases would cost an estimated $23 million. Zion Church Road would also be widened to four lanes.
Clerici said he hopes both phases could be constructed at the same time, possibly as soon as early 2009.
The county is in the process of acquiring an estimated 50 parcels for the first phase, which also includes the displacement of four houses, Clerici said.
While houses in the Keys Crossing subdivision are spared, four houses on Pinecrest Street won’t be so lucky. The new Zion Church Road will bypass directly through the Pinecrest Drive subdivision, which will require cul-de-sacs on Hwy. 124 and the existing Zion Church Road for access.
