Georgia DOT approves highway 42 widening construction bid

Photo of downtown Locust Grove with cargo train in the background (Henry County photo).
(Henry County photo)

Georgia DOT has awarded a contract for the widening of highway 42. The project extends between Bill Gardner Parkway and Peeksville Road in Locust Grove.

CW Matthews Contracting of Marietta, GA won the contract with a bid valued at $1,694,536.00. The contract completion date is July 31, 2024.

Highway 42 Widening

The widening project will add a second southbound lane on highway 42. This is being done to improve the evening rush hour bottleneck. It will also provide more relief area for waiting motorists when a train passes through town. Previous concepts to build a roundabout at SR 42 and Bill Gardner have since been scrapped. Instead, the traffic signal will remain.

With GDOT awarding a contract in August for the project, motorists should start to see the first signs of construction in the upcoming months.

City and State Projects

Georgia DOT and the city of Locust Grove formed a partnership in 2018 to advance the road widening project. GDOT is paying for the widening; whereas Locust Grove is covering the cost of improving Bill Gardner Parkway. Both projects are now on the verge of starting construction.

Since 2018, the city and state have continued to partner on projects. They are presently in the study phase to build up to two grade-separated railroad crossings within the city. It is presumed that at least one of these crossings will be in the Bill Gardner Parkway or Marketplace Blvd area. Finally, the largest partnership will build a new interstate exit near Bethlehem Road. The new exit is slated to start construction in 2024.

Other major projects happening within Locust Grove include the widening of Bill Gardner Parkway west of I-75. Henry County is sponsoring the project paid for by T-SPLOST. Design work started this summer for the widening.

Featured image shows highway 42 in Locust Grove. Photo credit Henry County.

About Clayton 1695 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.

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