By-pass Sewer Project Still in Planning Phase

Construction could start next year on a water and sewer expansion project along the Toccoa By-pass.

Stephens County Development Authority Executive Director Tim Martin updated Toccoa and Stephens County Commissioners on the project on Tuesday at their joint meeting.

The current project would expand the city’s sewer system from the intersection of the By-pass and Big A Road to the By-pass and Highway 106.

The project also includes water system improvements necessary to match the sewer system expansion and improvements.

Martin said design work is complete.

He said the focus is now on getting all of the necessary permitting.

“Those permits have been bears to track down,” said Martin.

Martin said they are making their way, however, through all of the necessary permitting processes.

He said after that, they will start contacting and working with property owners along the By-pass that will be affected by the project.

According to Martin, all of the efforts are pointed towards bidding the project early next year.

“We will bring those bids, we expect, to the city commission on March 9th, then I suspect the city commission will remand those bids to staff for review and recommendation,” said Martin.

Martin said the goal is to award a contract in mid-March.

Once underway, Martin said construction should take about nine months.

Meanwhile, Martin said that they have received an updated cost estimate on the project from engineers.

“Engineers are now estimating that the construction costs will be $4.1 million,” said Martin. “We will not know what those costs are obviously until we get the bids back. Hopefully, we will get multiple bids; good, solid bids and time will tell if that $4.1 million projection is accurate or not.”

Martin said adding in other fees, the total cost could come to about $4.5 million.

Toccoa and Stephens County have grant funds and SPLOST V money now for the project, along with SPLOST VI money set aside for sewer improvements that can be used.

The work on the By-pass is part of a larger water and sewer expansion project that Toccoa and Stephens County have designed to build out sewer on Big A Road between Rose Lane and the Toccoa By-pass, as well as the By-pass between Big A Road and Highway 106.