Bid awarded for Hwy. 53 re-widening project

The Braselton Town Council on Monday awarded Vertical Earth, Inc., of Cumming, with a $1,143,552 bid to complete a long-anticipated re-widening project on State Route 53. The project focuses on a three-lane 0.59-mile stretch of road which currently has one turning lane to accommodate passenger vehicles and tractor-trailers turning in and out of a Pilot service station directly off the road’s exit from Interstate I-85. The intersection has been a hot topic for years, especially when discussed by local residents who have had to deal with the frustrating traffic on a daily basis.

The project will consist of widening the highway from its intersection with I-85 to Johnson Drive, as well as the installation of two new traffic signals at Braselton Parkway and Chardonnay Trace.
The stretch of road contains a Cracker Barrel restaurant, a Zaxby’s restaurant, a Wendy’s restaurant and the Pilot station, which has a McDonald’s drive through.

Braselton is in an intergovernmental agreement as the lead agency with the state and Jackson County to fund the project, that will be funded 80 percent by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), 10 percent by Jackson County and 10 percent by the town. The state would pay $914,876 and the county and town are poised to each match $114,338. Braselton-based construction and engineering firm BM&K is the engineer/architect.

The plan still has to go GDOT for approval and following a 60-day mobilization period, construction will begin in June or July with a goal to finish by the end of the year. On Monday, council member Richard Mayberry made the motion and council member Peggy Slappey seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

To access the plans, visit http://www.braselton.net/rfp.html.