The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted at its August 4 regular meeting to approve a $6,472,287 bid award to C.W. Matthews Contracting for the construction of the West Village Parkway/Panola Road widening. Also approved were two related resolutions regarding a reimbursement agreement with Snapping Shoals EMC and the installation, maintenance and energy cost for the lighting of West Village Parkway.
It is expected to cost $101,851.42 for Snapping Shoals EMC to relocate a portion of its facilities for the parkway construction. That funding is available in the project budget.
The installation of lights including wire, poles, conduit and labor is quoted at a monthly cost of $1,328 for 120 payments, or a total of $159,452.40. Funding is available in the Henry County DOT streetlight account.
West Village Parkway/Panola Road is an approved major transportation project on each of the two most recent SPLOST lists.
In other business, the board voted 4-1 at the August 4 meeting to approve a resolution in support of a right-of-way agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation for the Western Parallel Connector. Johnny Wilson voted in opposition and board chair June Wood was absent from the meeting.
The total right-of-way cost is estimated at $10.67 million, with $6 million of that coming from the state DOT. The county’s share will come from fund balance.
County manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews said that GDOT planned several years ago to fund the entire project but chose to delay and scale it down due to expensive right-of-way costs.
The Western Parallel Connector has been in the planning stages in some form or fashion for most of the past two decades. When completed, it will run parallel to I-75 on its west side, from Hudson Bridge Road (starting next to McDonald’s and across from Walmart) to Jonesboro Road (connecting with Mt. Olive Road next to the Henry Town Center retail complex).
“This project has moved expeditiously as a result of having those conversations with property owners and GDOT,” said Dee Clemmons, who was credited by her fellow commissioners with spearheading the project. “We have an opportunity to have a four-lane road on the side of I-75 within the next year if we can move on this project and I think that is going to be huge for this county.”
The board also voted to create a transportation advisory group that will assist the commissioners and county staff “in defining transportation challenges and potential solutions, and ensuring the county and the cities remain focused on long-range transportation planning, and identifying available sources to assist in funding current and future transportation needs,” according to officials.
The group will consist of ten members – one appointed by each commissioner, and one appointed to represent each of the county’s four cities. County transportation planning director Sam Baker will act as a non-voting staff member to assist with the functions of the group. Qualifications require that appointed members have demonstrable experience or education in one or more of the following areas: transportation planning, community development or economic development.
