GDOT Part 4: SR 81 and Rock Quarry Road

Georgia State Route 81 road sign
Restricted Crossing U-Turn Intersections (R-Cut’s) are a common feature on new projects.

This is part 4 of the GDOT projects series after a joint meeting between Georgia Department of Transportation project managers and the Henry County Board of Commissioners.

*** Federal funding was awarded in 2017 to cover right of way acquisition. Preliminary engineering was funded with federal funds in 2015. Federal dollars require a 20% local match which has been covered with the SPLOST program. ***

SR 81 between Postmaster Drive and Bethany Road :: Construction 2022

State Route 81 will be widened from two lanes to four lanes. This will extend from the end of the McDonough One-Way Pairs project near Postmaster Drive to Bethany Road. Right of way acquisition is scheduled for 2020 with construction set to start in 2022.

GDOT traffic analysis has shown traffic counts do not level off on SR 81 until Keys Ferry Road. This has caused concern for logical termini and being able to justify the project ending at Bethany Road. If the project were to be extended to Keys Ferry, this would double the corridor length and effectively sidetrack the project for several more years because of cost increases.

Moving Henry Forward would like to see the following project timeline:

  • SPLOST V approved in 2019 – fund the 20% federal match for Right of Way and Construction from Postmaster Drive to Bethany Road
  • T-SPLOST consideration in 2021-2023 – Preliminary Engineering from Bethany Road to Keys Ferry Road
  • Future SPLOST – Right of Way and Construction for Bethany Road to Keys Ferry Road

This schedule would require the support of Henry County voters and coordination within the SPLOST program. It is the most reasonable scenario to improve SR 81 to four lanes past Ola High School and alleviate all present-day traffic concerns. A future project in the 2030’s could complete the corridor from Keys Ferry Road to SR 212 in Newton County.

Rock Quarry Road between Eagles Landing Parkway and SR 138 :: Construction 2022

Rock Quarry Road will be widened from two lanes to four lanes. This will improve access to the hospital for north Henry County. Right of way acquisition is scheduled for 2020 and construction to start in 2022.

Other projects are in development to establish East Atlanta Road – Rock Quarry Road – Patrick Henry Parkway as a four-lane continuous corridor. Henry County requested federal funds to start design work on East Atlanta and Patrick Henry; however, the projects were not selected for funds. The city of Stockbridge is the project sponsor for the Rock Quarry Road extension connecting Rock Quarry and East Atlanta roads. Stockbridge’s request for federal funding in 2017 was also unsuccessful.

Previous Installments

Next Installments

Update: this article was updated on January 23, 2018 to reflect the results of the 2017 federal funds solicitation. The original article was published before the solicitation process had finished.

About Clayton 1745 Articles
Clayton Carte is the founder and owner of The Henry Reporter. He founded the site in 2017 to highlight transportation projects. Over time, he began covering other topics like new development so residents can best know what’s happening in our community.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply