State Route 20 widening now accepting construction bids

Georgia DOT is now accepting construction bids for the state route 20 widening. Bids are being accepted through Friday, September 16, 2022.

The widening project extends between I-75 and Phillips Drive. When complete, the roadway will have four travel lanes with a raised center median. A sidewalk and multiuse path are also part of the project.

State Route 20 widening

Preliminary engineering for the widening project began in 2016. Since then, right of way acquisition started in 2018. Now, the project is ready to start construction.

Georgia DOT previously estimated the cost of construction at $20 million. Because of current inflation, road bids have returned higher than estimates in recent months. For example, bids closed in August on a 3.55-mile widening project in Forsyth County. The low bid was $51 million. With this in mind, the 1.5-mile highway 20 project could see bids in the $25–30 million dollar range.

Following the close of bids on September 16, GDOT typically takes two weeks to review the bids and make any negotiations before announcing contract awards. If the state awards a contract after the September bids, then motorists should start to see road work in early 2023. MHF News will continue to share updates as they become available.

Notable Features

The state route 20 widening project has several notable features. At the center of the project is a new multilane roundabout at McDonough Parkway. This two-lane roundabout will also link two segments of the parkway. Henry County has finished construction on its portion of the southwest section. This connects state route 155 / Henry Parkway and state route 20. The state widening project will finish the tie-in between the roundabout and new road.

In addition, the widening project will make several intersection changes near I-75. The changes start at state route 20 and Old Industrial Blvd / Walmart driveway. This intersection will become a signalized R-Cut. R-Cuts allow side-street traffic to only turn right — not go straight or turn left. Engineering for the diverging diamond interchange identified this location as a bottleneck to improve both efficiency for the DDI and state route 20 corridor.

To support traffic redirecting elsewhere, several surrounding intersections will be changing as well. The intersection of state route 20 and Willow Lane will have dual left-hand turn lanes on both north and south approaches. In addition, the project will install a new light at Willow Lane and the Walmart access road beside Lowes. Finally, the intersection of Industrial Blvd and Old Industrial Blvd near McDonald’s will allow only right-turns from Old Industrial.

Featured image shows a presentation slide of the state route 20 widening project. Photo credit Georgia DOT.