Travelers along Highway 5 between Blue Ridge and McCaysville can expect construction beginning this June, according to Georgia Department of Transportation District 6 Communications Officer Joe Schulman.
Schulman said phase one of the project, to widen the highway between the two towns, will be from Wash Wilson Road in Epworth to Old Flowers Road just south of McCaysville. The work is expected to cost $14.5 million.
However, before construction can begin, GDOT must complete acquiring the necessary parcels of property for rights of way.
Shulman said there are 70 acquisitions necessary and so far six pieces of property have been acquired.
Work will start after a contractor has been selected and a contract is in place. This first phase construction is expected to take around 24 months.
For the Highway 5 work between Highway 2 at Gravely Gap and Old Flowers Road, 313 parcels are needed, but only nine have been acquired. There are 132 parcels needed for the McCaysville Truck Bypass from Highway 5 on Harpertown Hill to Highway 68 in Copperhill and only 45 have been acquired. Together 39 occupants have been relocated and 271 appraisals have been released for negotiation, Shulman said.
“Occupants for the property acquired for rights of way will not be required to vacate prior to three months from the date they were first and formally contacted with an offer,” Schulman said. “It is the policy of the department that no person will be displaced unless and until comparable replacement housing is available.”
He also said “there must be a Right of Way Certification for all projects prior to a scheduled LET date (advertised date that construction bid proposals will be opened for projects).” Federal regulations require this certification from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Shulman said submitting the certification requires the following:
•Approved plans;
•A statement from the state verifying that all individuals and families have been relocated to decent, safe and sanitary housing, or the state has made available to those relocating adequate replacement housing in accordance with Federal Highway Administration directives;
•All necessary right of way, including control of access rights when pertinent, have been acquired, including legal and physical possession;
•Legal possession has been obtained even if trial or the appeal of cases are pending in court;
and,
•All occupants have vacated the lands and improvements, and the state has physical possession and the right to remove salvage or demolish these improvements and enter on all land.