One of Walker County’s most troublesome roads will soon see some much-needed repairs thanks to the county’s first round of funding from the transportation special purpose local option sales tax.
The project will bring asphalt resurfacing, patching and leveling work to a 4.4-mile strip of Nick A Jack Road, located on the east side of Lookout Mountain.
The estimated cost for the project is $600,000, with TSPLOST funds expected to cover 30 percent of the cost. The remaining 70 percent will come from the state in the form of a Local Maintenance Improvement Grant.
This will be the first road to receive funding from the county’s 1 percent increase in sales tax, which was voted in by the public late last year.
Though the county has not formally concluded its study of all its roads and bridges to determine which are most in need of repairs, Sole Commissioner Shannon Whitfield said the Nick A Jack Road project was moved to the top of the list because of the high volume of car accidents that take place along the roadway.
According to accident reports from the Georgia State Patrol, Nick A Jack Road saw an average of 20 wrecks per year between 2014 and 2016, which officials say make it one of the county’s most dangerous roads.
To increase safety, the resurfacing work will be done using a blended material composed of 50 percent limestone and 50 percent granite. Tougher than limestone, the granite will prevent the road from wearing down as quickly and provide better traction for drivers, said Walker County spokesperson Joe Legge. The Georgia Department of Transportation requested the material be used due to the traffic volume and steep incline on Nick A Jack Road, he added.
The state will also restripe the road with thermal plastic paint and put up new signage.
Public Works crews performed two maintenance projects on Nick A Jack Road over the summer to prepare it for paving, Legge said. The first corrected a mudslide that occurred near the roadway a few years ago, which had led to excess water washing over the road when it rains. The second rebuilt the road’s shoulders.
The county has already received bids from Talley Construction, Northwest Georgia Paving, C.W. Matthews Contracting Company, and Bartow Paving for the project. The county will award the bid this week during its Sept. 13 commissioner’s meeting.
Construction is expected to take 10 business days to complete, Legge said. Though the exact date of the work has yet to be determined, he said construction will likely take place in October, as the project calls for the contractor to wrap up road work by Nov. 1 to avoid penalty.
After the road has been resurfaced, the state will provide an additional surface traction treatment for the road, which Legge said is likely to take place next year in order to give the road time to cure.
Email Myron Madden at mmadden@timesfreepress.com.