Lavonia Reacts to Delay in Streetscape Funding

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced another delay in the bid process for a host of statewide, federally-funded projects.

The 34 delayed projects across Georgia, valued at $123 million, were previously scheduled to go out for bids in December, but uncertainty about whether the money will be available caused G-DOT to withdraw its plan to let those projects out for bid before the end of the year.

One of the projects on that list is the long-awaited Street Scape project in the City of Lavonia.

The City has been waiting since 2011 to receive some $200,000 in federal grant monies.

“Since that time, the City has expended in excess of $50,000 in engineering and consulting fees, which is our match for the total cost of the project, and we still haven’t been able to get this project off the ground,” City Manager Gary Fesperman said. “It’s been one delay after another and now we find out yet one more time we have another delay from the federal government. Yes, it is frustrating. We would have loved to have had this project buttoned up several years ago.”

Fesperman said the downtown Street Scape project is the final phase of an overall downtown improvement effort, and involves repairing or replacing downtown sidewalks.

“This project is for sidewalk replacement,” Fesperman said. “All new concrete will be put in, as well as some extra lighting and so forth, and will certainly enhance that whole area.”

Additionally, he said they had planned on installing wheelchair ramps at all intersections as well as extra electrical outlets.

“All corners will be ADA accessible and will include a handrail on that corner on West Main St.,” he said. “We were also planning on installing some electric outlets in the tree pods for vendors during festivals and other events.”

Another major road improvement project that has been put on the back burner is in Hart County where plans to resurface Old Highway 29 from SR8 to LongPoint Park are now on hold.

That project is expected to be funded by a $632-thousand dollar federal grant.

GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said if Congress does not reach an agreement by this Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation will cut off payments for infrastructure projects to states and local governments in November.