Henry County has hired a design engineer for the State Route 81 widening, phase 2. The project extends between North Bethany Road and Keys Ferry Road in Ola. Phase 1, from Postmaster Drive to Bethany Road, is presently buying right of way.
State Route 81 Widening Phase 2 Design
Henry County hired Heath & Lineback of Marietta, GA to design State Route 81, phase 2. The company provided a cost proposal totaling $3,783,750.00. They were the highest-scoring proposal out of 12 proposals. Henry County received the proposals in March 2024.
To pay for the engineering / design work, the county will receive $1.6 million in federal funds. Henry County approved a project agreement with Georgia DOT in October 2023 for those funds. The remaining cost will be local dollars. SPLOST V and SPLOST VI included funds for the project. It is a joint project between districts 1 and 3.
The road widening project is from North Bethany Road, where phase 1 terminates, to Keys Ferry Road. This is a distance of about 3.5 miles. The design will be for a four-lane divided road with a center median and sidewalks. Design work on a road widening project takes about 2-3 years on average.
The Georgia DOT website, specifically project 0019638, shows a state commitment of $30 million towards construction in year 2029. Before construction could commence, however, the state’s website anticipates a local contribution of $7 million for right of way acquisition. It is most likely that Henry County would fund right of way through transportation SPLOST 2. Voters will consider that program on the ballot in 2026.
Phase 1 & Other Projects
State Route 81 widening, phase 1, is presently buying right of way. The county and Georgia DOT anticipate the project will be ready to bid out for construction before year’s end. The project is paid for by federal funds and T-SPLOST.
Two other major projects are in the Ola vicinity. They are the Airline Road extension, to connect Airline Road into Old Jackson Road, and the Keys Ferry Road extension. The Keys Ferry extension concept is from SR 81 to North Ola Road at Ola High School. Both projects are funded by SPLOST VI.
Lastly, the county is accepting bids now to resurface Keys Ferry Road. The resurfacing will be from SR 81 to the Butts County line.
Featured image shows a map of the state route 81 widening projects. Clayton Carte / The Henry Reporter map created with Datawrapper.
