Because the rain won't go away, drivers in Augusta might find themselves waiting a little longer for construction on Interstate 20 to officially end.
Wet weather delayed work crews as they put finishing touches on the $191 million project at I-20 and Bobby Jones Expressway interchange before their Oct. 31 finish date.
Mike Keene, the area engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation, said workers are near the end of construction but need clear skies to finish.
Before a new road surface can be laid on top of an existing one, crews must pour a hot, liquid underlayer of asphalt called tack. Rainwater keeps the bond between the old road and the new one from sticking, so crews shut down operations until the weather dries, Mr. Keene said.
"For every day it rains, it pushes them almost two days," Mr. Keene said.
Officials hoped to finish work on Wheeler Road at Bobby Jones Expressway last week, but after heavy rain this week, Mr. Keene said it will be several days until everything is open. Several turning lanes remain closed.
Work on I-20 from Davis Road to the Augusta Canal is "essentially complete" and crews are painting the new bridges and awaiting a final inspection by the DOT, Mr. Keene said. The two new inside lanes remain closed until they are able to clean the area and move drainage grates. One of the new flyover ramps, from westbound I-20 to westbound Bobby Jones, is closed until next week.
The remaining paving in the eastbound lanes of Bobby Jones Expressway has been delayed because of the weather. Still, Mr. Keene said he is optimistic they can meet the Halloween deadline.
Once work ends on I-20, the DOT will shift its emphasis to new repaving and expansion projects on Deans Bridge Road and Alexander Drive that are funded through federal stimulus dollars.
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
AUGUSTA ROADWORK
I-20: Crews have completed new lanes from Davis Road to Augusta Canal. They will clean and remove some water grates in the next several weeks. Workers will be painting the new bridges, as well.
BOBBY JONES EXPRESSWAY: Workers are paving portions of the eastbound lanes near Wheeler Road overpass and might be shifting traffic.
WHEELER ROAD: All new lanes are open aside from one left-turn lane. Crews are working to finish the on-and-off ramps from Wheeler Road to Bobby Jones Expressway.
ST. SEBASTIAN WAY/WALTON WAY ROAD CLOSURE: Crews are pouring concrete for sidewalks and laying down asphalt in the roadway. Officials hope to have Walton Way back open for traffic by the end of the month.
Source: Georgia DOT
PALMETTO PARKWAY ROADWORK
Officials say South Carolina's Palmetto Parkway should be open by the first week in November, earlier than the Dec. 31 deadline.
"The wet weather we've had recently has slowed them down," said Skip Grkovic, the director of economic and community development for North Augusta.
Construction on the main roadway is finished, but cleanup detail such as fencing and dirt removal is under way.
Detail work associated with the 5-mile section of the Greeneway, which will stretch from Ascauga Lake Road to Atomic Road, is also being completed.
Mr. Grkovic said work will continue on the bridges over Interstate 20 and the north- and southbound lanes at U.S. Highway 25 and is expected to be complete by the end of December. Traffic will be diverted around those areas.
-- From staff reports
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