John B. Brooks Rd. to be closed at times for project

A road improvement project through one of Jackson County’s key industrial areas is creating the need for a major detour.
John B. Brooks Road — located between U.S. Hwy. 129 and Ga. Hwy. 332 in north Jefferson — includes some of the county’s largest industries, such as Mission Foods, Seydel, Spectrum Brands and Hitachi.

But the road — which hasn’t been improved since the mid 1980s — is in dire need of being widened. It also has it share of large potholes.

What will be done is a $2.2 million improvement and widening project of John B. Brooks Road that will affect 24 businesses, and residents around north Jefferson and Pendergrass.

That’s why leaders in Jefferson and Jackson County are getting a jumpstart on notifying motorists of the detours, which should start in mid-July.

County capital project manager Don Clerici warns that some people will hear complaints from motorists about the detours around the roadway.

For more details on this story, see the June 24 issue of The Jackson Herald.