Widening of Ga. 20 project in new phase

A years-long, Georgia Department of Transportation project widening Ga. 20 in Gwinnett and Forsyth counties is taking a big step forward this week.

Traffic was scheduled to shift and split on two facets of the work at midnight April 4. The shift was planned to move drivers over to newly constructed portions of the road from James Burgess west to Samples Road.

That portion will remain an eastbound and a westbound lane for traffic. Traffic also was to split across the newly-constructed bridge over the Chattahoochee River that will now hold one eastbound lane of traffic and two lanes of westbound.

When finished, the project will result in a wider Ga. 20 from Samples Road in Forsyth County to Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Gwinnett, a more than 7-mile stretch In Forsyth, improvements between Samples Road and James Burgess are set for spring, 2019 completion.

In Gwinnett, improvements between Burnett Trail and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard are set to finish this summer.

Commissioners approve repairs, interim manager

A temporary personnel move and a repair were approved by Forsyth County commissioners at a recent special called meeting.

Commissioners approved Deputy County Manager Tim Merritt as interim manager in a move that became effective April 3, the day after longtime current manager Doug Derrer retired.

Merritt will serve at a 10 percent increase in pay and with a car allowance tacked on until a new permanent manager is picked.

Recruitment for the position is ongoing.

Commissioners also awarded a contract to Steele and Associates for emergency repairs to a boardwalk on the Big Creek Greenway.

The section between mile 6.1 and 6.2 was heavily damaged when a tree toppled onto it during recent storms.

The contract totals $107,353 but the county’s procurement director says the cost could come in under that if existing pieces of the walk can be reused.

Procurement head Donna Kukarola says the contractor plans to have the damage repaired within days.

City plans $161K downtown crosswalk

Alpharetta is putting in for a $113,050 state grant to fund a midblock crosswalk on Main Street at Marietta Street in the downtown area.

The City Council approved a staff request to apply for a FY 2017 Multimodal Safety & Access Program grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation. The grant will require a 30 percent local match, with Alpharetta contributing $48,450 to the project’s total cost of $161,500, according to a staff report.

The Department of Public Works will submit the application on the city’s behalf, staff said. Pond & Co., the city’s engineering consultant, has proposed a marked crosswalk with a refuge island in the middle of Main (Ga. 9), a fourlane road. There also would be a flashing beacon to alert motorists to the presence of pedestrians.

Upcoming

Small, Small World: Exploring Art around the Globe. 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Free. Northeast/ Spruill Oaks Branch, 9560 Spruill Road, Johns Creek. . 770-360-8820, afpls.org.2

City will buy new firetruck

A new firetruck will be bought by the Austell City Council.

Council voted 5-0 Monday to spend the discounted price of $449,781 for the 2017 rescue pumper from the 2016 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Fire Chief Pat Maxwell and Councilman/Mayor Pro Tem Ollie Clemons said the city received two discounts: $19,243 for pre-paying. $11,133 from the Florida Sheriffs Association co-op.

The current firetruck will be sold with proceeds going back to the general fund, Maxwell said.

Upcoming

Acworth Egg Hunt by the city of Acworth and Freedom Church. 6:30 p.m. Friday. Free. Acworth Sports Complex-Baseball Fields, 4000 South Main St., Acworth. Activities and concessions open at 6:30 p.m. followed by the parachuting of the Easter Bunny at 7:15 p.m. and the hunt for 50,000 eggs at 7:30 p.m. Park at the baseball fields. 770-917-1234, Acworth EggHunt.com.