Buford, Gwinnett to widen S.R. 20/Buford Dr.

Gwinnett County Commissioners recently approved a construction contract to widen State Route 20/Buford Drive that is jointly funded by Buford, the Georgia Department of Transportation and Gwinnett County.

The commissioners approved a $5.5 million contract with C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc. to widen State Route 20 from South Lee Street to State Route 13/Buford Highway. S.R. 20 will be widened from two to three lanes in both directions with the installation of a raised concrete median and sidewalks. The S.R. 20 widening project will also include intersection traffic signal upgrades along with drainage improvements, including curb and gutter.

C.W. Matthews will also install sidewalks along the west side of Old Suwanee Road from S.R. 13 to Chatham Road as part of this contract.

Part of the funding for the S.R. 20 project comes from a $1 million Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant from the Georgia DOT that is in addition to the $450,000 LMIG funding previously approved by Georgia DOT. Commissioners also voted to apply for and accept the additional LMIG funds.

Additionalfunding for the project is provided through SPLOST contributions by Gwinnett and Buford. Gwinnett commissioners voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the city, which provided funding for the S.R. 20 widening contract, with additional funds identified to widen Thompson Mill Road from S.R. 13/Buford Highway to Brickton North Drive. This project is currently in the concept phase.

Funding for Gwinnett’s share comes from the 2009, 2014 and 2017 SPLOST programs. KAREN HUPPERTZ FOR THE AJC