Officials cut ribbon officially opening Phase two Appalachian Parkway. (photo/Dean Dyer)
(CLEVELAND) — Local and State officials cut the ribbon officially opening phase two portion of the Appalachian Parkway around Cleveland Wednesday morning. State Senator Steve Gooch, Representative Terry Rogers, and White County Commission Chairman, Travis Turner welcomed citizens to the newly constructed corridor.
White County Commission Chairman Travis Turner told the crowd that phase two is the key to moving the traffic, he said: ” phase two is the connector, phase two is what makes phase one jive.” Turner said the Parkway is the connector that will get more people to northeast Georgia’s largest tourist destination Helen and it is the connector to White County’s two largest employers, Freudenberg NOK and Babyland General Hospital.
GDOT District Engineer Brent Cook, said “Planning for this project began more than 20 years ago. ” Several of those on hand for the ribbon cutting reflected on the time it has taken to get a roadway to this point, among those White County Sheriff Neal Walden, ” in 1979 I came to work for White County in law enforcement and I’ve been hearing bypass since 1979 and I often wondered if I would live long enough to see it, well I’m going to drive on the second phase of it today, so I think it will be a benefit to the county and the motoring public,” commented Walden.
Phase one of the Parkway which begins at Hope Drive south of Cleveland was opened to traffic in November of 2015. Phase two was well underway by then, and the latest section which has six bridges is just under three miles. The second phase was completed three months ahead of schedule and according to Senator Gooch, under budget as well.
Phase one of the parkway, according to DOT represented a $50 million investment. The second phase cost $25 million. There is still a phase three, that will complete the project and connect the road with Highway 75 just north of Cleveland. No one at the Wednesday ribbon cutting would say when funding would be available to complete that phase.
Following the official ribbon cutting Sheriff Walden escorted the first official traffic on the parkway.
