What Locust Grove Wants to Complete in SPLOST VI

The city of Locust Grove has shared its draft SPLOST VI projects list. The city estimates it could receive up to $19.4 million dollars for projects.

Henry County voters will consider this November whether to approve SPLOST VI. If voters approve it, then the sales tax program would begin in April 2025.

Locust Grove SPLOST VI Projects

The city’s SPLOST VI projects are broken down into four categories. They include the following:

• Transportation Projects – $15.6 million
• City Green Space – $1 million
• City Utilities – $1 million
• Municipal Buildings – $600 thousand
• Total: $18.2 million

The $1 million dollars for green space includes two subcategories. They are $500 thousand dollars each for city parks and the city’s trail system.

Transportation Projects

The transportation projects include several objectives. Various projects are below:

• Bill Gardner Parkway improvements – $5 million
  Identify preferred alternatives to improve the intersection of Bill Gardner Parkway and Tanger Blvd / Marketplace Blvd. Extend the center median from Tanger Blvd to state route 42.
• State Route 42 congestion relief – $4 million
  Continue projects to improve state route 42 between Colvin Drive and the downtown area, in partnership with Georgia DOT. Projects include the grade-separated railroad crossing(s), road widening and other improvements. Widen state route 42 from two to three lanes between Bill Gardner Parkway and Marketplace Blvd.
• Colvin Drive extension – $3 million
  Extend Colvin Drive to connect with new Bethlehem Road and the future I-75 exit. Provide a route for commercial traffic from Colvin Drive to reach the new exit, instead of relaying on highway 42.
• Peeksville Road connector – $1 million
  Construct the Peeksville Road extension between SR 42 and Frances Ward Drive. The city is presently buying right of way for this project.
• Tanger Blvd at Indian Creek Road — $1.35 million
  Construct a roundabout at Tanger Blvd and Indian Creek Road. Locust Grove recently converted this intersection to an all-way stop because of an increase in crashes.
• Peeksville Road pedestrian connectivity – $1 million
  Improve pedestrian access between downtown Locust Grove, residential neighborhoods and Skyland along Peeksville Road.
• SR 42 at Davis Road – $250 thousand
  Complete preliminary engineering & design work to evaluate SR 42 at Davis Road for a possible traffic signal. Installing a new signal would require state DOT approval.

The city is also looking to improve Peeksville Road at Leguin Mill Road. This would be a possible joint project with Henry County.

Next Steps

The Henry County SPLOST VI committee is presently holding meetings. They are considering possible projects within unincorporated Henry County. They will conclude their work in April. Each city is separately considering their project lists.

This summer, the county and cities will hold a joint meeting for SPLOST VI. At such meeting, they will discuss a possible intergovernmental agreement. If the county and cities approve an IGA, then they can ask voters for a six-year sales tax program. Without the IGA, they are otherwise limited to five years.

Finally, voters will decide at the November ballot box whether to approve the sales tax program.

Featured image shows the center median on Bill Gardner Parkway. Clayton Carte photo.