BAINBRIDGE –
Work has begun to transform a Decatur County local road into a state route, which will move heavy truck traffic away from downtown Bainbridge and reduce the potential for crashes.
The Georgia Department of Transportation project will reconstruct and widen Whigham Dairy Road from US 84/State Route (SR) 38 to SR 97/SR 309/Vada Road. The county road will be redesignated as a state route. This was requested by Decatur County officials who asked that the downtown Bainbridge legs of SR 97/SR 309 be removed from the State Highway System and that Whigham Dairy Road be redesignated as SR 97/SR 309. In addition to decreasing the volume of truck traffic downtown, the change is expected to help reduce the potential for crashes throughout the corridor.
Clearing and grubbing on Whigham Dairy Road started Tuesday, Nov. 19. Please slow down in the work zone and watch for heavy equipment and crews.
Bringing the county road up to state route standards isn't a matter of just adding more asphalt. The contractor is going to have to take existing lanes down to the foundation and start from scratch. It will remain a two-lane route, but turn lanes will be installed and intersections will be realigned to correct skew angles.
The current scheduled completion date is spring of 2027. Georgia DOT awarded the $9.7 million construction contract to Griffin Grading & Concrete LLC in October. Preliminary engineering and right of way acquisition bring the total cost of the project to approximately $17 million.