Decatur selects streets set for repairing, resurfacing in 2020

Decatur has selected three streets for milling, patching, repairing and resurfacing in 2020, while a fourth — a portion of South Columbia Drive — is tentatively scheduled to get the same treatment later in the year.

The city typically selects about one mile of streets each fiscal year for a thorough renovation. The determination is based on several conditions, including cracking, rutting, edge cracking, shoulder issues, poor drainage, and potholes.

The three streets are West Benson St./East Benson St. from Oakview Road until it dead-ends (0.46 miles),

Wilton Drive from Oakland Street to Clairemont Avenue (0.27 miles) and Greenwood Avenue from East College Avenue until it ends (0.35 miles).

The approved budget is $962,000, with the city paying $764,300 and another $197,700 coming from the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant Program.

Assistant City Manager David Junger anticipates that work should begin in April at the earliest.

The city is also recommending to GDOT that South Columbia Drive, from East College to the city limits (0.98 miles), be included in the 2020 LMIG program. The total cost estimate is $1,024,742, with the city’s share estimated at $803,172 and the remaining $221,569 coming from the LMIG.

The first three streets come out of the city’s 2019 fiscal year budget, while Columbia comes out of FY 2020.

Junger said the Columbia project could begin later in 2020 or early in 2021.

Also planned is a 10-foot wide multiuse path on Columbia’s east side, dedicated left-hand turn lanes on the north and south side of Columbia turning onto Talley and Shadowmoor respectively, and the narrowing of Columbia, from Talley to Derrydown Way.