GEORGIA STATE EDITION
A Supplement to:
441
59
75
Cornella 19
Rome 85 27
Athens 441
Atlanta
20
Madison Augusta
85
20
Griffin 1
129
Milledgeville
75
La Grange
Macon
301
185 19
March 23 2011
16
Dublin
Swainsboro Oak Park
Columbus
Statesboro
341 441 16
Lyons Americus 27
75
Albany
84
Douglas Tifton
82
95
82
Blakely
Pearson 27 84
Moultrie
19 319
84
Bainbridge
Valdosta
Your Georgia Connection: Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Dorchester
341
Cuthbert
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301
1
82
Vol. XXIII • No. 6
Savannah
McRae Cordele
Thomasville
Waycross Brunswick 82
1 441
New Bridge to Keep Trains, Cars on the Move — Separately By Peter Hildebrandt CEG CORRESPONDENT
Trains can be fun and rather interesting to watch, regardless of the plot of the recent movie Unstoppable. But though they usually coexist peacefully, trains and vehicles can often make for patience-stretching delays and the ever-lurking possibility of tragic accidents. The makeover one Chatham County, Ga., road is getting will eventually bypass the issue of trains and cars having to deal with each other by separating the two means of transport with a new bridge. Work started on SR 307, which crosses an area railroad grade, on Aug. 10, 2010. The project is slated to be completed by March 31, 2012. The prime contractor on the job is Sunbelt Structures Inc. This is the first project in Savannah for Sunbelt. Sunbelt started out in 1985 as a bridge and concrete culvert subcontractor, and has grown into a multi-dimensional contracting company that has completed hundreds of projects over the years. It does engineering and design, construction management and overall project development. It focuses on state, county and local government bridge and roadway construction. With its headquarters in Tucker, Ga., most of its work is conducted in North Georgia. Craig Weatherly is the senior project manager on this job. The project involves only .855 mi. (1.4 km) of construction and includes the erection of a bridge and approaches on SR 307, also known as Bourne Avenue, over the Norfolk Southern Railroad Line. The boundary of the project begins west of the Norfolk Southern RR and extends to U.S. Highway 17
This project is for the construction of a bridge and approaches to carry SR 307 traffic over both the existing Norfolk Southern Railroad Line and the proposed Intermodal Facility railroad tracks which will eventually be present in the area.
and SR 25. Work on this job also includes construction of a detour Road on SR 307 and an intersection improvement project to provide two through lanes, left and right turn lanes on SR 307 at the intersection with SR 25 entering and exiting the Georgia Ports Authority. Work is currently on schedule, according to Craig Solomon, communications officer of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). As of the last week in February 2011, the project was in the beginning of stage one, utility relocation work and detour road construction. Also involved on the project from the GDOT are Construction Project Manager Oscar Carlers, GDOT Area Engineer, Troy Pittman (Savannah area office) and GDOT Area Engineer George Slade Cole
(Savannah area office). This project is for the construction of a bridge and approaches to carry SR 307 traffic over both the existing Norfolk Southern Railroad Line and the proposed Intermodal Facility railroad tracks which will eventually be present in the area. SR 307 currently has an at-grade crossing with the Norfolk Southern Foundation Lead track. The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has plans to install up to 12 working tracks and eight storage tracks at the James D. Mason Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF). Additionally, a connection from the working tracks and storage tracks on the south end of the ICTF is necessary for train movements into and out of the facility. These connection tracks will eventually lead to 14 total tracks
that will lie across the present location of SR 307. The grade separation will provide a much safer and more efficient movement of vehicles. The grade separation of SR 307 from the rail traffic was identified in the Chatham County Intermodal Freight Study. There is nothing that will be affected or disrupted, from an archeological or historical standpoint from this work, according to Solomon. “But perhaps this project’s greatest challenge involves the relocating of Georgia Power transmission lines outside of the peak power season and reconstructing the intersection of State Road 307 and State Road 25,” explained Solomon. “This will also be taking place while maintaining truck traffic into and out of the GPA’s main gate.
That, in addition to the fact that Atlanta Gas Light will be relocating a gas line in the area, means everyone will have to be on their toes and be aware of the latest information and updates. What makes it unique too is the use of an on-site detour to maintain the existing four lanes of traffic.” GDOT currently has three personnel on the site, but more will be assigned when work on the project increases, according to Solomon. Sunbelt also has crews and subcontractors on this job that vary in size. The length of the covered distance is approximately 4,514 ft. (1,375 m). The part of the project involved with the bridge work amounts to 1,000 ft. (304 m). On the materials side, 20,000 sq. yds. (16,722 sq m) of Plain PC Concrete will be placed at a depth of 12 in. (30.5 cm) in thickness. The reason for the substantial thickness is that once completed, heavy trucks and cargo will once again travel this route. The following equipment is being used on the job: an Altec 38TN boom truck; Cat D4G dozer; Cat D6KLGP Bulldozer; Cat 325D excavator; John Deere 310SG rubber tire back hoe ; 2002 Southway crane lift; and a Komatsu 200LC loader. One of the other major contractors involved with this project is Burman Communication Tech LLC, Stockbridge, Ga. It will design and assemble the traffic signals to be installed at SR 25. Burman is a signal installing contractor that does much of the traffic signal work for the entire state of Georgia. In the years they’ve been in business, since 1998, they’ve installed quite a few signals all around the state, according to see BRIDGE page 2