Board Approved the Bridges at Willow Roundabout

Construction will begin this summer on a new roundabout in McDonough. Henry County approved the Bridges at Willow Lane roundabout during their May 2 meeting.

The SPLOST V program is paying for the project. Total project costs will exceed $2.5 million.

Bridges at Willow Lane Roundabout

The planned Bridges at Willow Lane roundabout will improve operations and reduce delays at the intersection. Roundabouts are also proven to reduce accident rates at intersections. Presently, the location operates as a four-way stop. Willow Lane serves as a parallel road to I-75. It often experiences delays when there is congestion on the interstate.

Planning for the intersection improvement began when voters approved SPLOST V in November 2019. The county hired Falcon Design Consultants in October 2020 to design the new roundabout. As of December 2022, project costs were $525 thousand. This had both design and right of way costs.

On May 2, the county approved Backbone Infrastructure, LLC of Buford, GA to build the new roundabout. The construction cost equals $2,067,501.60. Backbone submitted the low bid of three vendors. To pay for construction, the board also approved a SPLOST budget amendment. The project will use $830,892 in unallocated SPLOST V funds.

The contractor will have 330 days to complete the project. This places the estimated completion in spring 2024.

Upcoming Developments

Several private developments as well as a new elementary school are upcoming along Willow Lane. They include the following:

• nearly 500 housing units in a mixed townhome and single-family subdivision, located southwest and west of Willow Lane at Bridges Road,
• Birch Creek Elementary under construction now north of Pembrooke Park subdivision,
• 422 apartments and townhomes north of the new school on either side of Willow Lane (rezoning request pending), and
• a new Chick-fil-A restaurant at the current site of QuikTrip gas station off state route 20.

In January, Henry County applied for a grant to widen Willow Lane to four lanes. The grant, if the county receives it, would cover design only. This represents the first phase of any project.

Featured image shows the Bridges Road at Willow Lane location. Google photo.