Georgia DOT has awarded 10 construction contracts for statewide transportation projects totaling $150,447,642. These projects were advertised in September, bids were received on October 20, and contracts were awarded on November 3 to the lowest qualified bidder.
 
The largest single awarded contract—$59.9 million—is for construction of two replacement bridges and approaches on Islands Expressway over the Wilmington River in southeast coastal Georgia’s Chatham County. The project will replace the existing bascule (moveable span) bridges with two new high-level fixed-span structures having a minimum vertical clearance of 65-feet for the navigational waterway. The existing bridges, which require daily maintenance to open and close up to 4,000 times a year, cause repeated traffic delays and inconvenience for the traveling public. The new fixed-span bridges with their increased vertical clearance are designed to eliminate the delays and lost travel time caused by frequent bridge openings.
 
This is a complex bridge construction project with multiple stages and a lengthy construction time of up to 48 months. There will be significant impacts to the traveling public during construction as the current two lanes in each direction will be reduced to one lane in each direction for up to half of the overall construction time. The contract was awarded to Prince Contracting, LLC of Tampa, Fla. with an anticipated completion date of November 30, 2021.     
 
A $51.2 million contract for almost seven miles of widening and reconstruction on SR 92/Dallas Highway from Malone Road to Nebo Road was also awarded. The purpose of the project is to improve north-south mobility between Douglas and Paulding counties and between the cities of Douglasville and Hiram, as well as to alleviate current and anticipated future congestion on the heavily-traveled corridor. The project includes widening from two lanes to six lanes from Malone Road to Bill Carruth Parkway and to four lanes from Bill Carruth Parkway to Nebo Road, as well as construction of three bridges and approaches, sound walls and landscaping. Safety is addressed with the addition of a raised median to separate left-turning vehicles from through traffic, bicycle lanes within the paved shoulder, and signalized intersections. The contractor is C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc. of Marietta, Ga. and the anticipated completion date is July 31, 2022.
 
In Forsyth and Hall counties in northeast Georgia a $27.2 million contract was awarded for .8 mile of construction of a bridge and approaches on SR 369 over the Chattahoochee River/Lake Lanier. The new bridge, consisting of two 12-foot lanes with 8-foot shoulders, replaces an existing steel truss bridge with a low sufficiency rating. No detours are anticipated during construction. The contractor is Scott Bridge Company, Inc. of Opelika, Ala. and the anticipated completion date is April 30, 2020.
 
The awards bring the four-month Fiscal Year 2018 total construction contracts to $408 million. FY18 began July 1.