A $325,000 bridge preservation project in Habersham County has been put on hold. The Georgia Department of Transportation announced today it is delaying bids on 34 projects state-wide due to “federal funding uncertainty.” The projects, valued at $123 million, were scheduled to go out for bids in December.
The three Habersham bridges affected are located on State Routes 15, 515 and the State Route 15 Connector.
Other regional projects put on hold include a $1.2 million streetscape project in downtown Dahlonega; a $250,000 streetscape project in Franklin County; and $632,763 worth of road resurfacing and maintenance projects in Hart County.
The current federal transportation funding bill that would help pay for these projects ends October 29.
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a six-year, $325 billion bipartisan bill Thursday but, with the end of the month deadline looming, Congress likely will have to pass another short-term patch to give Congress time to conference on the highway bill. If that happens, it will be the 35th short-term federal transportation funding extension since 2009.
“It has been ten years since Congress has been able to pass a transportation funding bill of more than a two-year duration,” said Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry. “Temporary fixes do not create the certainty state DOTs require in order to plan major transportation projects. We can’t do long-term transportation planning with short-term funding fixes.”
Key delayed December projects in Georgia include:
- A $45 million resurfacing and maintenance project on Interstate 75 in Catoosa County from State Route 3/U.S. 41 to the Tennessee state line
- A $20 million resurfacing and maintenance project in Tift County on I-75 from south of County Road 204/Southwell Road in Tift County to south of SR 32 in Turner County.
- A $3 million operational improvement on SR 3 at Windy Hill Road in Cobb County
“While Congress looks for solutions, the clock ticks down to next Thursday’s Oct. 29 deadline,” McMurry added. “If Congress does not reach an agreement by then, US DOT will cut off payments for infrastructure projects to states and local governments in November. This poses grave challenges for our transportation system.”
For a complete list of delayed projects, click here.
