If you frequently drive through Demorest, you may want to find an alternate route – at least for the next few months. Work began Tuesday to replace the damaged retaining wall along Central Avenue/Historic Highway 441.
Traffic will be reduced to one lane through the work zone between Georgia Street and Alabama Street during the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Crews from Georgia Department of Transportation contractor Vertical Earth repainted the road lines Tuesday. They’re shifting vehicles away from the wall to minimize traffic disruptions and protect workers and the public.
The project is expected to progress slowly at first. Georgia DOT engineers must approve the strength of the concrete used to rebuild the wall. It could take between seven to 28 days for those strength test results to come in, says Demorest City Manager Mark Musselwhite.
Demolition will be kept to a minimum until the concrete’s approved. Once it is, Vertical Earth can move forward with demolishing and rebuilding the wall.
Traffic delays are expected.
The Georgia DOT is paying Vertical Earth approximately $733,000 to destroy and rebuild the nearly two-tenths of a mile stretch of wall.
The work is expected to be completed by the end of August.
