A project on State Route 42 in Butts County, Ga., has been moving along for the past year and is headed for completion by the end of the year.

Under direction of Project Manager Bill Rountree of the District 3 office of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the $8.4 million contract was awarded to McCoy Grading Inc. of Greenville, Ga. Notice to proceed was given on March 8, 2010, and the completion date is set for Dec. 31, 2011.

The contract calls for the construction of two passing lanes along a 3.08-mi. (5 km) stretch of SR 42/U.S. 23 between the cities of Jackson and Jenkinsburg. One is northbound and the other is southbound.

Within the limits of the second passing lane, two left turn lanes will be constructed to improve operation and safety. In addition, two left turn lanes will be added at the Scotts Bunyon Hyponex Plant, which is located at MP 13.55.

“The passing lanes and turning lanes will improve the functional capacity and the operational safety of the route,” according to the GDOT website.

James Tomlinson McCoy Grading’s project manager, noted that asphalt and concrete paving on a portion of the existing roadway also will be removed.

“We are moving approximately 108,000 cu. yds. (82,572 cu m) of dirt using GPS-controlled Cat D6’s, Cat 730 haul trucks and a Cat 345 excavator,” he said. “We are installing 48,000 tons of GAB using an ATS controlled Cat 12M motorgrader.”

According to Tomlinson, the project has presented a few challenges.

“The original road is concrete paving that has been overlaid with asphalt,” he explained. “We are having to mill the asphalt down to the concrete, then remove and crush the old concrete paving. We also are working around and sometimes inside the railroad right of way, which can cause some coordination and traffic control issues.”

A total of 15 to 20 foremen, operators and laborers are assigned to the project.

Sunbelt Structures, Tucker, Ga., serves as the culvert subcontractor, while CW Matthews Contract Company Inc., Marietta, Ga., is the asphalt contractor. CEG

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