Drivers who use Georgia State Route 60 to travel between McCaysville and Mineral Bluff will face a long detour when the major route is closed early next month.
Track maintenance and crossing improvements scheduled on the Patriot Railroad tracks will force the closure, as well as the closure of Hughes Street, McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley said last week.
SR 60/Toccoa Avenue will be closed starting Wednesday, October 9, around 8 a.m. and will remain closed through Friday, October 11, around 8 a.m., according to an announcement from Southern Commercial Development, LLC. The company will provide the detouring services for the project.
Hughes Street will be closed around 6 a.m. Tuesday, October 8, and will reopen that day around 6 p.m.
Total closures will exist on both SR 60 and Hughes Street, meaning no traffic will be allowed to cross the railroad tracks until work is complete.
Earley said the SR 60 closure will force all thru traffic between McCaysville and Highway 515 to detour along State Route 5/Blue Ridge Drive. Detour signs will mark the alternate route.
SR 60 will still be accessible up to points close to the work area, which is where the railroad tracks cross the highway between River Road and Midway Street.
Earley expects the closure to increase traffic congestion through McCaysville and encourages all drivers to use patience as the work progresses.