Ga. DOT Announces NE Ga. Road Improvement Project

The Georgia Department of Transportation is announcing a construction project it says will improve the safety on some of Northeast Georgia’s curviest highways.

The DOT said it awarded a project this week to Triangle Grading and Paving Inc. of Burlington, North Carolina for more than $3.15 million.

Work will include adding reflective raised pavement markers, reflective striping and additional signage.

Also with the work, new signs will advise lower speeds while chevron signs follow along the edge of the curving road easily showing the bends of the road.

DOT officials said the project will also improve traction by removing the existing top layer of asphalt and installing a new style of pavement that provides better grip called a high friction surface treatment.

The work will occur in Banks, Franklin, Hart, Madison, Towns and Rabun counties and will total 10.75 miles.

State routes that are part of the project include State Route 51 in Banks, Franklin, and Hart counties, State Route 172 in Madison County, State Route 2/U.S. Highway 76 in Rabun and Towns counties, and State Route 77 in Hart County.

The completion date is June 30, 2016, but a construction schedule has not been finalized yet.

To come up with the project list, the DOT said it compiled a list of highways with frequent wet weather crashes.

DOT officials said engineers then rode those highways to determine the severity of each curve and then curve data and the posted speed limits were compared to National Standards.