Fannin County commissioners have agreed to spend a little of $167,000 to keep Shallowford Bridge open, improve safety for Public Works department employees, and add needed road work equipment.
The commissioners made a trio of unanimous decisions when they met in regular session Tuesday, March 8.
Public Works Director Zack Ratcliff presented the needs to the commissioners, the county’s portion of which will all be paid for by the Special Local Option Sales Tax.
Ratcliff warned the commissioners that if repairs are not made to Shallowford Bridge the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) could shut it down completely. The weight limit on the bridge has already been lowered to three tons.
That fear first arose when a GDOT inspector ordered the bridge closed January 4.
However, a follow up inspection by another GDOT official, a structural engineer, determined repairs could keep the bridge open.
“If we don’t get it fixed, they’ll (GDOT) shut it down to everything,” Ratcliff said. That could happen in June or July.
Ratcliff said it will cost $82,577.90 to make the repairs. Georgia officials have promised to fund $57,807.53 through a Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG), leaving $24,773.37 to be paid by the county. Comissioners Chairman Jamie Hensley, Post One Johnny Scearce and Post Two Glenn Patterson agreed to the expenditure, all to come from SPLOST funds.
In addition, with the commissioners agreement to move forward immediately, the crew repairing the Noontootla Creek bridge on Newport Road will move directly to the Shallowford Bridge when the first project is finished. Ratcliff explained by keeping them in the area continuously, the county will save $8,000.
Ratcliff explained that the hope is this will allow Shallowford Bridge to stay open to traffic for at least two years, and the new bridge planned for the river in the area will be completed.
Commissioners also agreed to the purchase of three new Ford F150 trucks for the Public Works department at a total cost of $127,248 from John Megel Ford in Cleveland, Georgia, under a state contract.
These will replace “junk that’s in the shop every couple of weeks,” Ratcliff said.
Hensley echoed the need for the purchase, talking about one problem he witnessed personally. That happened when he was following one of the current trucks out Aska Road, it went around a curve, and a door flew open. When he checked on the problem, it was created because the rust was so bad the latch could not be fixed.
A machine that applies rubberized, flexible asphalt to fix cracks in pavement was purchased for $15,000 from Towns County.
Ratcliff said he borrowed the machine to try it out by sealing five joints as part of the work on the Noontootala Creek bridge on Newport Road. This was part of the project for which the county is responsible for payment and was going to cost $20,000 for a contractor to do the work. The machine worked to perfection.
Ratcliff explained purchasing the machine would go a long way to helping “protect our roads.” He explained that sealing cracks prevents water from getting underneath pavement, which is the main cause of potholes and cracked, broken pavement.
The total amount of SPLOST money dedicated to the bridge, trucks and machine was $167,021.37.