Drivers in Habersham can expect detours to continue for the foreseeable future as work continues on two roads severely damaged by fall storms.
Work on New Liberty Road is progressing, but efforts to repair the damaged Pardue Mill Road bridge have been temporarily stalled. The two were among more than 50 county roads that sustained damage when the remnants of Hurricane Delta dumped upwards of eight inches of rain on Habersham Oct. 10-11.
“Crews have been working diligently to ensure the speedy repair of New Liberty Road,” says Habersham County spokesperson Carolyn McDuffie in a press release. The notice to proceed on the project was issued on December 7. Since then, all utility conflicts have been resolved, and crews have secured fiber-optic lines that have been permanently routed overhead, she says.
Delta damaged the pipe carrying water from Shoal Creek underneath New Liberty Road. As of December 28, excavation crews were 90% of the way through removing the damaged pipe. Once the pipe is replaced, the road will then have to be reconstructed.
Higgins Construction of Cornelia won the New Liberty contract with a base bid of just over $616,000. Of that, $590,000 is being paid for through Georgia Department of Transportation grant funding. The remainder of the repairs will be covered by SPLOST VI funds.
New Liberty Road is expected to reopen by mid-March.
Pardue Mill bridge repair
The Pardue Mill bridge repair project will not meet its scheduled timeline for bid letting. County officials had hoped to do that the first week in January. McDuffie says the delay is due to complications with “coring crew and equipment malfunctions.”
Crews have completed geotechnical fieldwork on the project and were to deliver their report to the engineer this week.
Despite the delay, Habersham County Public Works Director Derick Canupp assures the public, “These projects are a top priority for us.” He adds, “We thank the public for their patience as we make necessary repairs.”
The Pardue Mill bridge project is now scheduled to be put out for bid on January 20, 2021.
This article has been updated to include the county’s timeline for completion of the New Liberty Road project
