Georgia 8, April 19, 2023

The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) opened the first new turbine bridge ramp that will carry I-16 westbound traffic to I-95 southbound, on March 23, 2023. The ramp replaces the existing cloverleaf, loop ramp on the west side of I-95 with a first-of-its kind for Georgia “partial turbine” configuration ramp to provide smoother, more direct connections through this busy corridor.

Savannah Mobility Contractors (SMC), a joint venture of Dragados USA and Prince Contracting LLC, was awarded the project in 2018.

“The opening of the new turbine bridge ramps is a significant milestone for the traveling public as well as the project team and we’re eager to get the new configuration opened and allow motorists to see the benefits of the new bridges,” said Ron Nelson, Georgia DOT project manager of the 16@95 Improvement Projects. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to bring these improvements to the

interchange and look forward to sharing other elements of the project as they’re completed.”

A full-turbine interchange, also known as a whirlpool interchange, has two or three levels with ramps forming a spiral around the interchange’s center. Two of the four existing cloverleafs will convert into turbine bridges at this major interchange, thus the “partial-turbine” name.

The second new turbine bridge ramp, which will carry I-95 southbound traffic to I-16 eastbound, is anticipated to open in Q2 2023.

“It’s an innovative solution that provides a more direct connection,” said Kyle Collins of GDOT communications. “So this is about a 1,900-footlong bridge, it’s going to replace the old cloverleaf ramp that people were used to having to make sort of a quick decision to dart in and out. So, it’s going to be a lot smoother transition to get you to either 95 southbound or 95 northbound.”

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The new ramp replaces the existing cloverleaf, loop ramp on the west side of I-95 with a first-of-its kind for Georgia “partial turbine” configuration ramp to provide smoother, more direct connections through this busy corridor.

Bobcat of Atlanta Cuts Ribbon On New Carrollton Facility

Fresh off its recent grand opening event at the new Peachtree City, Ga., facility at the end of 2022, Bobcat of Atlanta hosted yet another big crowd for the grand opening and ribbon-cutting of its new Carrollton branch facility on March 24, 2023.

The facility, located at 102 Cable Industrial Way in Carrollton, is the eighth branch facility for an ever-expanding Bobcat of Atlanta “footprint” in north Georgia and north Alabama. The Carrollton facility features a huge equipment yard and approximately 20,000 sq. ft. under roof, most of which is dedicated to equipment service and parts area.

This event included a barbeque lunch catered by The Oink Joint based in Newnan, Ga.; a live remote by country music station 92.5 FM – The Bear; prize drawings; rental discounts; hats and all kinds of other Bobcat “swag,” and vendors who turned out to support the event and showcase their product offerings.  CEG

(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2023 Construction Equipment Guide. All Rights Reserved.)

Husqvarna hand tools, Bobcat fluids, filters and turf equipment are all on display and available in the showroom area.

A big group of customers from Silvey Enterprises, based locally in Carrollton, turned out to be a part of the day’s festivities. (L-R) are Barry Carter, Jay Deming, Spencer Rowell, Amy Montfort, Kelly Jacobs, Terry Brown, Jackson Stevens and Branch Manager Ty Harden, Bobcat of Atlanta-Carrollton.

Josh Cordua (L) of Morris Marketing Group, based in Greer, S.C., traveled to the event to promote the MARSHALLTOWN USA tools and products for the masonry, brick and drywall customers.

The largest portion of the facility “footprint” consists of an expansive shop area.

Wielding the big scissors and flanked by some of the key Bobcat of Atlanta key staffers and the Carroll County, Georgia, Chamber of Commerce representatives is Ty Harden (C), who prepares to cut the ribbon to commemorate the new Carrollton branch opening.

The facility located at 102 Cable Industrial Way in Carrollton, Ga., had once been an electrical supply business and was completely gutted and restructured into the new Bobcat of Atlanta branch facility.

see BOBCAT page 8

GDOT Announces 22 Project Awards Valued at $162M

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) recently announced that it had awarded 22 projects in February valued at $162 million. Twenty were awarded on March 3, and two other projects from the February letting which were originally deferred were awarded later in the month.

The largest project in the package is worth approximately $25 million and was awarded to Marietta-based C. W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc. It consists of milling and plant mix resurfacing 21.22 mi. of Interstate 75/Georgia Highway 401 from south of U.S. Highway 411/Ga. 61 in Bartow County to south of Dew Pond Road in Gordon County.

This contract, along with 12 other resurfacing projects, represents 49 percent of the awarded funds.

Additionally, there were two reconstruction projects which account for 42 percent of the awarded funds, or $54 million.

The first is the effort to widen and reconstruct 1.1 mi. of Ga. 9 in Forsyth County from the Fulton County line to McFarland Road. The second project includes the widening and reconstruction of 2.1 mi. of Buffington Road from Rock Quarry Road to U.S. 29/Ga. 14 (Roosevelt Highway) and from Royal S Parkway to Rock Quarry Road in Fulton County. This job also

includes the construction of a bridge over the Ga. 14 spur in Fulton County.

Another pair of bridge construction projects, with contracts totaling $4 million, represent three percent of the awarded funds by GDOT. They include the construction of a bridge and its approaches on Birdford Lake Road over Beards Creek in Tattnall County, and on Harden Chapel Road across Rocky Creek in Toombs County.

Other notable construction projects funded by GDOT in February include:

• An approximately $3.8 million effort to build a roundabout on Ga. 53 at New Cut Road and Ednaville Road in Jackson County.

• A safety project, valued at about $2.8 million, to make intersection improvements at various locations along U.S. 84/Ga. 38 in Wayne County.

• A single maintenance effort on various bridges in Greene, Laurens, Newton and Richmond counties. Together, these bridge rehabilitations will cost approximately $1 million.

• Two more construction projects were awarded late in the month: A bridge and approaches installation on the Ga. 77 spur over Little Coldwater Creek and Cedar Creek in Hart County; and, in Pike County, on the Concord Road bridge over Birch

Creek.

GDOT’s February awards bring the total construction contracts for Fiscal Year 2023 to $1.2 billion, a total that includes TIA, Design-Bid-Build, and locally administered projects.

Bids for Design-Bid-Build projects were received on February 17, and contracts were awarded to the lowest qualified bidders on March 3.

Contractors and consultants, including Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), registered small businesses, and veteran-owned small businesses interested in bidding on projects or performing work must prequalify with Georgia DOT.

For more information, visit www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/Pages/DBE.aspx.

Downtown Macon’s Telfair Street Closes for Repairs

A Macon Water Authority (MWA) stormwater system project to repair a failed line in the city’s near downtown has resulted in the partial closure of Telfair Street while repairs are ongoing for the entire month of April, and likely into the first week of May.

The Macon Telegraph reported April 5 that the work is ongoing from the intersection of Telfair and Ash Street to the intersection of Telfair and Hazel Street. The road is

a well-traveled route leading into downtown Macon and turns into First Street, where Navicent Health — the second largest hospital in Georgia — is located.

The rehabilitation project began April 3 after extensive rainfall in the last week of March caused the formation of a sinkhole at 1279 Telfair St., which led to the failure of the underground stormwater line, according to the Macon news outlet. The sinkhole opened on an older part of the stormwater system that consisted of brick pipe. Despite earlier work the MWA had done to stabilize the area, the affected line will require a complete rehabilitation.

The city department contracted with Utility Asset Management (UAM) Inc. to fix the damaged portion of Macon’s stormwater system. MWA officials told the Telegraph that due to the emergency nature of the incident, the project was made a top priority over other long-term system improvements. While repairs to the damaged system are ongoing, the municipal authority will install a temporary bypass line to handle stormwater flow along the Telfair Street area. The bypass system will cross Telfair and requires part of the street to close for cleaning, reinforcing, spray lining and curling of the failed line. 

Work Begins On Tybee Island Ahead of Bridge Replacements

The roadway linking Savannah to the beach community of Tybee Island saw the finish of preliminary work earlier this year ahead of a much larger project beginning in 2025 to replace two bridges along the highway by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

U.S. Highway 80/Georgia Highway 26 is frequently the scene of traffic bottlenecks even when the weather is inhospitable to beach-going sunbathers heading to Tybee Island.

But the two-lane road began to see rare winter traffic logjams January through March as GDOT took the first steps to construct new bridges over Bull River and Lazaretto Creek, both of which carry traffic on and off the island. At its eastern end is the small town of Tybee Island, featuring sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.

Between Talahi Island and Tybee Island, the two-lane rural highway has intermittent passing lanes and is the only connection between the mainland and Tybee.

The Savannah Morning News reported that the pre-construction work was performed day and night during the winter, which came as a surprise to many Tybee commuters who expressed frustration with slow-going traffic at the Bull River Bridge for an entire month. More work was done at the Lazaretto Creek span in March, and in both cases, crews closed one of the two lanes, allowing only a single direction of traffic at a time while reserving the other lane for the bridge work.

The state agency announced plans to replace the bridges in early 2022 after decades of lobbying by local government

officials and residents. The current structures were built in the 1960s and have never been upgraded. When finished, they will be wide enough to accommodate a breakdown lane and a bicycle/pedestrian lane.

Nagel added that the cost of construction for both bridges is approximately $60 million and is part of a $100 million effort to widen the roadway from the mainland to Chatham County’s only beach town.

The project’s parameters are within U.S. 80/Ga. 26’s intersection with Johnny Mercer Boulevard, about a quarter mile west of Bull River Bridge, to a point just east of the Lazaretto Creek Bridge on Tybee Island.

The new spans are designed to be 52-ft.-wide with two 12-ft. travel lanes, 10-ft. shoulders on each side, and a 10-ft. barrier-separated bike/pedestrian lane on the north side, according to GDOT. The proposed roadway would include a pair of 12-ft. lanes with 12-ft. shoulders on both sides.

The U.S. 80/Ga. 26 bridges and roadway corridor also is important because it is designated as a tropical storm evacuation route on the Georgia Hurricane Plan, as well as a future bikeway in the state’s Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Long-Range Plan.

Travel between Tybee Island and Savannah is currently limited on these bridges and poses a particular challenge for drivers during peak tourism season, and for special events and festivals held on the island throughout the year. Additionally, Lazaretto Creek Bridge is structurally deficient and eligible for replacement, GDOT noted.

No additional through lanes would be included in the road and bridge improvements, the state agency announced, but right- and left-hand turn lanes will be added at the entrances to McQueen’s Island Trailhead, Fort Pulaski National Monument, and Lazaretto Creek Boat Ramp.

In the southeastern Atlanta suburb of Stockbridge, Henry County officials broke ground in March on renovations and additions to the 12-acre Mickie D. Cochran Park.

The rehab effort, at 301 Banks Road, is expected to take about six months, the county said in a news release.

The approximately $3.8 million project will include the construction of two full-sized basketball courts, a large pavilion for community events, and a two-story concession building with restrooms on the first level and an area for scorekeepers on the second.

Plans call for an overhaul of the park’s existing football field, the replacement of lights, fencing, goalposts and scoreboards, and the creation of more walking paths.

The project will mean demolishing all existing park structures, such as the parking lot, tennis courts and playground. In their place, a paved plaza will be built, along with a larger playground, a local art installation, an outdoor fitness area with shaded cover, a warm-up and practice area, and a quarter-mile paved loop pathway.

J.R. Bowman Construction Co., from McDonough, will handle Cochran Park’s primary design and construction, while Musco Lighting, an Iowa firm, will install the field lighting. 

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Atlanta BeltLine Begins Construction On New Trail Segments

Work has been moving full steam ahead on the Atlanta BeltLine since a pair of groundbreaking ceremonies occurred in March on two new different segments of the 22mi. loop.

Surrounded by heavy construction equipment, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta BeltLine Inc. leaders and other community members helped shovel the first dirt at the site of the BeltLine’s Southside Trail on March 13. Known as Segments 4 and 5, the new paved trail will connect the Glenwood Park and Grant Park neighborhoods, from Glenwood Avenue southwest to Boulevard, according to a March 27 online news release from Atlanta Beltline.

“The next expansion of the Southside Trail is a significant move toward a more connected and thriving Atlanta,” Dickens explained. “This 1.2-mi. segment will provide safer and more accessible routes for residents, students and visitors alike, linking communities to job centers north and south of Interstate 20.”

The Southside Trail expansion will be built to provide nearly 5 mi. of multi-use trail stretching from Piedmont Park to Boulevard and create safer routes to schools for students and families at Parkside Elementary and Maynard Jackson High School.

On March 23, Dickens was joined by many of the same folks from the earlier gathering again to break ground on the 1.3 mi.-long stretch of the Westside Trail connecting Washington Park to Bankhead/Historic Westin Heights.

The Westside Trail — Segment 4 starts at the western boundary of Atlanta’s Washington Park neighborhood, founded 100 years ago as a trailblazing Black suburb and the proud home of the city’s first greenspace built to provide key recreational amenities for an African American community. The park is seen as a vital part of the Atlanta BeltLine’s

Erin Sintos/Beltline.org photo (L-R) are Rob Brawner, executive director, Atlanta BeltLine Partnership; Katie Howard, Atlanta Public Schools board member, District 1; Natalie Hall, Fulton County commissioner, District 4; Clyde Higgs, president and CEO, Atlanta BeltLine Inc.; Mayor Andre Dickens, city of Atlanta; Jason Winston, city of Atlanta councilmember, District 1; Daniel Blackman, regional administrator of EPA’s Southeast Region (Region 4); Abiy Kaltiso, transportation chair South Atlanta for Neighborhood Development (SAND); Matt Westmoreland, city of Atlanta councilmember, Post 2 At Large.

“emerald necklace,” a network of public greenspaces connected by the trail line.

“[Segment 4] is a complicated design that includes elevated structures and bridges, and we expect it to be completed

within 2½ years,” the Beltline explained on its website.

Once Segment 4 is finished, the Westside Trail will be the longest continuous section of paved trail along the BeltLine. People will be able to traverse 6.5 mi. from Pittsburgh Yards in the southwest, to Huff Road in West Midtown, to the northwest, and onto downtown Atlanta — along the way passing through some of the Georgia capital city’s most historic neighborhoods.

“With the Westside Trail, we’re creating a brighter tomorrow for all who call Atlanta home,” noted Clyde Higgs, president and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. “It’s an important part of our 22-mi.-long trail network, and we’re excited that our vision is coming to completion. We estimate the BeltLine will be 80 percent completed or under construction in the next two years.”

More Beltline Construction Kickoffs Planned Soon

Progress will continue to ramp up with several more groundbreakings slated to take place in 2023, including Northeast Trail — Segment 1. In addition, bids on construction of the final part of the Southside Trail, Segments 2 and 3, will be let this fall.

To date, 9.3 mi. of the BeltLine mainline trail loop are complete. In addition, 10.3 mi. of connector trails have been finished that tie directly into current and future segments of the primary trail.

Construction on the Southside Trail — Segments 4 and 5 are expected to be wrapped up by the spring of 2025, while work to build the Westside Trail — Segment 4 should be complete in the summer of 2025, according to Atlanta Beltline. 

Bobcat of Carrollton Staff Meet Customers at New Store

A big selection of Bobcat skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, mini-excavators, ATVs with various attachments and machine/trailer offerings were on display.

Ted Smith (L), the newest addition to the Carrollton sales staff, talks with attendees about some of the features of the Bobcat machines in the yard.

Guests enjoyed a catered barbeque lunch and an opportunity to get to know their new hometown Bobcat dealer.

BOBCAT from page 4

Bulloch County Officials Rezone Huge Tract for Warehouses

It appears that millions of square footage of warehouse capacity and light industrial space will be made available to manufacturers after a recent zoning of properties in Bulloch County, Ga., near Interstate 16, the major thoroughfare between Atlanta and the Port of Savannah.

The Hyundai-centered boom in industrial development in east-central Georgia landed before the Bulloch County commissioners for decisions on multiple proposals the first week in April. The most notable result of those hearings was the board unanimously approved, with some added conditions, rezoning requests to allow three million sq. ft. of industrial warehousing to be built on roughly 360 acres along the south side of Rocky Road, south of Statesboro.

Rocky Road is the more southern of the two access roads from U.S. Highway 301 to Bruce Yawn Commerce Park, the Development Authority of Bulloch County’s industrial site at the I-16 interchange.

Joon Georgia Inc., a unit of auto body parts manufacturer Ajin USA, has committed to build a factory on the Rocky Road side of the industrial park, and construction of Aspen Aerogels’ aerogel-insulation plant is well under construction on the side of the park nearer the interstate highway, according to the Statesboro Herald.

The newspaper reported April 6 that the proposed developer of the new warehouses is Northpoint Development, based in Savannah and in Charleston, S.C. But the project came to the Bulloch County commissioners as six separate requests — from different local owners of a half-dozen contiguous parcels — to rezone their land from agricultural to light industrial.

Together, the properties added up to a 359.6-acre tract, where Northpoint plans to build 10 warehouses totaling 3.1

million sq. ft., as well as connecting driveways and parking areas for trucks and employees.

By comparison, the Statesboro Walmart Distribution Center measures a little over two million sq. ft. in size.

Former Farmland to See Careful Development

One of the property owners, Garrett Nevil, was Bulloch County Board of Commissioners chair for 12 years until 2016. He spoke to the current board when the hearing for his rezoning request was held during its April 4 meeting.

Nevil explained that years ago, the county and the city of Statesboro began to prepare the industrial park site at the interchange by investing millions of dollars to clear the land and extend city and water sewer service to the area. The state, he noted, also put money into the road improvements.

“We know what is being proposed for the next phase of construction down there, and we find it to be acceptable and environmentally friendly to our community,” he said. “We know this site will be developed sooner or later, and it always counted to me from the beginning as to what goes there. We are satisfied with the proposal that has been made.”

Some of the commerce park’s neighbors, though, worried about the impact of the industrial complex’s expansion, and submitted a list of 10 conditions they suggested the county put on the rezoning.

One of these would have restricted the property to warehouse use, prohibiting assembly or manufacturing work on the site. Other conditions included restrictions on vehicles using Union Church Road and a requirement for a 100-ft. buffer planted along that side of the warehouse tract.

The county staff had already included a requirement for a

25-ft. buffer, which was sent forward with other staff conditions on the Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendation for approval of the zoning change requests. That board had voted 3-2 to recommend approval.

Jim Collins, from the Savannah engineering firm Thomas & Hutton, the company working on the project for Northpoint Development, told the Herald that trucks and other vehicles going to and from the park’s warehouses will only use Rocky Road for access. He added the company did not want access to the business park property from Union Church Road, except for an access road for fire trucks and ambulances at Kelly Pond Road and Union Church, which also was recommended by county staff.

Collins also noted that the county’s buffer requirement was for “95 percent opacity,” meaning little of the warehouse site would be seen from outside its perimeter, and that evergreen trees were recommended.

The Bulloch County commissioners, before their vote on Nevil’s part of the property, increased the buffer requirement to 50 ft. as a compromise and carried the requirement over to the other five parcels. In addition, they added a condition prohibiting use of Union Church Road to access or exit the warehouse tract, except for emergency vehicles.

A traffic study, noted in the county’s report, predicted that the warehouses and nearby industrial development will generate 5,552 vehicle trips per day.

Since the commissioners last year approved zoning changes to allow more than one million sq. ft. of warehousing, planned by a different development company on the other side of I-16, more than four million sq. ft. of industrial storage space is now slated for construction around the interchange. 

GDOT’s Ramp Project to Provide Smoother Connections

“We talk a lot about the tremendous growth at the Georgia Ports and of course, this project is part of the needed roadway improvements to support the movement of freight and increased safety for both commercial and passenger vehicles,” said Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry. “Through partnerships with local officials, the Georgia Ports Authority and cooperation from the traveling public, we’re working to improve this critical interchange and mobility for the Savannah area.”

The partial turbine bridge ramps were open overnight when traffic volumes are typically lowest. At the time of the new turbine bridge ramp opening, new signage was unveiled and traffic control measures were installed to close the current cloverleaf, loop ramp.

Other work to be completed at the I-16/I95 Interchange includes improvements to the remaining loop ramps as well as the addition of a new bridge, barrier-separated, collector-distributor (CD) lane, also known as a connecting lane, and improved lighting throughout the interchange.

This long-term improvement project

broke ground in 2020.

Project Information

Construction began in January 2020. Overall, the project will:

• Widen I-16 mainline corridor toward the inside median from two to three lanes in each direction from I-95 to I-516;

• Replace the existing (I-95 southbound to I-16 eastbound and the I-16 westbound to I95 southbound) loop ramps located on the west side of I-95 with “partial turbine” configuration ramps to provide smoother, more direct connections;

• Add a collector-distributor (CD) lane on I-95 northbound to help improve traffic flow and safety to and from I-16 and I-95;

• Add lighting at the I-16/I-95 Interchange;

• Install Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology, including cameras, and changeable message signs to provide realtime driving conditions;

• Install ramp meters at SR 307/Dean Forest Road and Chatham Parkway onramps;

• Construct a two-lane, emergency-use median crossover on I-16 between I-95 and

SR 307/Dean Forest Road to aid in evacuations; existing I-16 crossovers will remain operational until the new, two-lane crossover becomes operational;

• Construct/rehabilitate 13 bridges throughout the project limits.

About MMIP

The Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) is a grouping of large-scale projects expected to yield a significant reduction in

congestion along key freight and passenger corridors. The projects will create additional capacity, improve the movement of freight, provide operational improvements and efficiencies, enhance safety, and decrease travel times.

For more information, visit dot.ga.gov/IS/MMIP. Additional project information is available at majormobilityga.com/projects/i1695improvements

About GDOT

Georgia Department of Transportation plans, constructs and maintains Georgia’s state and federal highways. It’s involved in bridge, waterway, public transit, rail, general aviation, bike and pedestrian programs. And it helps local governments maintain their roads. Georgia DOT and its nearly 4,000 employees are committed to delivering a transportation system focused on innovation, safety, sustainability and mobility. The Department’s vision is to boost Georgia’s competitiveness through leadership in transportation. For more information, visit dot.ga.gov. 

(All photos courtesy of GDOT.)

Savannah Mobility Contractors (SMC), a joint venture of Dragados USA and Prince Contracting LLC, was awarded the project in 2018.