Construction begins on road project in Catoosa

Published 1:44 pm Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Construction work will begin on Monday, March 22, 2010, on the second road project in Catoosa County, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The project includes 0.874 mile of resurfacing on LaFayette Street in the city of Ringgold. The first stimulus funded project in the county was the intersection improvement on State Route (SR) 2/ Battlefield Parkway, on which work began early September 2009.

Contractor for this second project, Colditz Trucking Inc. of Blairsville, GA, will start the resurfacing and shoulder reconstruction of LaFayette Street on Monday and work on weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.  This project is scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2010, at a construction cost of $129,324.

The resurfacing of LaFayette Street in Ringgold is among 23 ARRA funded highway projects in Northwest Georgia. Cumulatively, they are valued at over $54 million. They range from adding turn lanes on U.S. 41 in Bartow County, and resurfacing Interstate 575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties, to improving the intersection of Battlefield Parkway and Pine Grove Road in Catoosa County, and replacing the bridge on County Line Road over Polecat Creek on the line between Gordon and Murray counties.   

The Georgia Department of Transportation is responsible for 70 percent of Georgia’s $932 million in highway system stimulus funds.  The remaining 30 percent goes to the state’s 15 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), which are funding projects directly from their respective allocations.  The state also is receiving $144 million in stimulus funds for public transit and is eligible for additional highway, rail and aviation grants from funds totaling $12.1 billion.

The ARRA is a national effort to create jobs and transform America’s economy to compete in the 21st century.  Nationwide, some $48 billion in stimulus investments are being made in transportation infrastructure, including highways, public transit, high speed rail and aviation.  As noted previously, Georgia DOT has created a Web page (www.dot.ga.gov/gastimulus) devoted to stimulus activities to provide specific program information and promote transparency of the process.

The State Transportation Board determines policy and exercises general governance of Georgia’s Department of Transportation.  The Board’s 13 members, representing each of the state’s congressional districts, serve staggered, five-year terms.  Board members are elected by those state senators and representatives whose legislative districts fall within all or part of the relevant congressional district.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is committed to providing a safe, seamless and sustainable transportation system that supports Georgia’s economy and is sensitive to both its citizens and its environment.  For general information on the Georgia DOT, please visit our Web site (www.dot.ga.gov).