Construction of the second phase of a roadway project that will connect Roanoke Road to West Point Road and Whitesville Road could begin as early as four months from now, authorities said.

Contractors will bid on the $25.3 million South LaGrange Loop project sometime in early July, according to county engineer James Emery.

“Earlier this year we were expecting to fund the project with federal stimulus funds,” Emery said. “That looks rather unlikely now, though. Georgia Department of Transportation has informed us that it will be funded using conventional federal and state DOT funding sources.”

On April 9, Gov. Sonny Perdue decided to approve less than half of $512 million recommended by the State Transportation Board in March for 135 separate economic stimulus projects across Georgia as part of the first phase of Georgia’s transportation portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A total of $928 million in stimulus funds will be allocated for transportation in Georgia by the end of 2009.

“The South Loop project made the list of ‘eligible projects’ but it was not recommended for phase one by the Department” Emery said. “With only half of the phase one suggested amount approved, it’s unlikely the project will be funded from that money.”

Regardless of the funding process, the project has a three-year construction plan and includes a bridge to be built at the CSX railroad crossing on Roanoke Road and various upgrades along Pegasus Parkway and its connection with Whitesville Road.

The phase two portion of the road will follow Old West Point Road’s alignment for a mile, extend around the LaGrange Callaway Airport and tie to Pegasus Parkway.

In addition to the extension, new traffic signals will be added at intersections on Whitesville Road, Orchard Hill Road, Old West Point Road, West Point Road, and Roanoke Road.

The intersection of Pegasus Parkway and Whitesville Road will also receive new turn lanes and signals.

Phase one of the project, an extension of Pegasus to LaGrange Industrial Park and Sewon Boulevard, is already under construction and was funded by the DOT.

The construction began in October, 2007 and is ahead of schedule for completion in June of this year.





Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.