The large orange barrels along both sides of Highway 5 just south of McCaysville have been attracting a lot of attention.
They represent the construction area for the widening of the highway from Wash Wilson Road near Abernathy’s Home Furnishings to Old Flowers Road just south of McCaysville.
The contractor is expected to start work this week, according to Joe Schulman, District 6 communications officer for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). GDOT issued a notice to proceed for the project on November 16, 2021.
While traffic delays are expected, Schulman wrote in an email it is difficult to predict those since they depend on how the contractor pursues the work. “We’ll be sure to let everyone know in enough time so they can plan their routes accordingly,” Schulman wrote.
And while some Saturday work is possible, nighttime work is not predicted.
The scheduled completion date for the project is August 31, 2023.
The work is part of plans to widen Highway 5 from Highway 515 in Blue Ridge to Highway 68 in Copperhill. Whether or not work will start along other parts of the route before the Wash Wilson to Old Flowers work is completed is not known at this time, Schulman wrote.