3 Catoosa County roads to be resurfaced, thanks to a grant

Catoosa County, Georgia, is getting more than $1 million in federal money to fix three roads that are in need of resurfacing.

Funding for the work will be provided through a Transportation Improvement Program grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The roadways slated for resurfacing are Red Belt Road, Poplar Springs Road and Hoover Road.

Jeremy Bryson, projects inspector for Catoosa County Public Works, said the roads are in poor shape because of cracks and potholes.

Poplar Springs Road in particular has been an area of concern, as it runs in front of Heritage Middle School and is now being used as a detour for drivers displaced by GDOT’s bridge replacement project on Three Notch Road, which is expected to wrap up next summer.

“So we’ve seen our fair share of complaints on [the roads],” said Bryson, though he added that the projects are mostly geared toward preventive maintenance.

The total cost for the projects will be $1,419,000, with $1,135,000 of that money coming from GDOT and the county required to commit a 20 percent match of nearly $284,000.

The matching requirement will be met through SPLOST. Funds from the voter-approved 1-cent sales tax are specially earmarked for transportation and infrastructure projects.

The work will include repairs for potholes and problem areas, as well as surface treatments to make the roads more resistant to corrosion and wear, Bryson said. The project will include new striping and shoulders on the three roads.

Only about 20 percent of the roads in Catoosa’s road network qualify for funding from the TIP grant, as it is focused on providing funding for work on roads that serve as traffic generators, such as arterial roads that connect to freeways or major routes.

“Red Belt, for example, will get you to Walker County and to Chickamauga, and then all the way to Ringgold or Battlefield Parkway,” Bryson said, adding that the Federal Highway Administration also must approve the selected corridors for them to be TIP contenders. “So those are the kind of roads that they look at.”

Construction of the project, which will be managed through GDOT, is expected to begin this fall, with an expected completion date of Nov. 30. Drivers should some delays on all three roads, Bryson said.

Contact staff writer Myron Madden at mmadden@ timesfreepress.com.