The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) last week awarded a $139.4 million contact with Archer Western Construction LLC and Heath & Lineback Engineering Inc. for reconstruction of the SR 316 interchanges with Jimmy Daniell Road, Virgil Langford Road, and the Oconee Connector.
The existing at-grade intersection at Jimmy Daniell Road will be replaced with a a grade-separated, diamond interchange with a single-lane roundabout at the northern ramp and another single-lane roundabout at the southern ramp.
The at-grade intersection at Virgil Langford Road will be replaced with an overpass without direct access to SR 316.
The present at-grade intersection of SR 316 and the Oconee Connector will be replaced with a grade-separated and partial cloverleaf interchange.
Construction is expected to start in late 2025, with substantial completion in 2028.
Plans call for a potential detour of 45 days at the Jimmy Daniell Road interchange due to closure of the westbound entrance ramp from Jimmy Daniell Road to SR 316 and for a potential detour of 45 days at the Oconee Connector interchange due to a closure of an eastbound exit ramp.
Both intersections are expected to be restricted but remain open during construction.
Virgil Langford Road currently does not cross SR 316, and existing access will be closed during construction with traffic on the south of SR 316 diverted to Jimmy Daniell Road and traffic on north side diverted to the Oconee Connector.
Archer Western Construction LLC and Heath & Lineback Engineering Inc. was the lowest of three bidders on the construction project and scored the highest score by GDOT both for price and for technical performance.
Request For Proposals, Fundings Sources
GDOT issued its request for qualifications (RFQ) for the three interchanges, bundled as a single design/build project, on March 8 with responses due on April 11.
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| Location Map From RFQ (Click To Enlarge) |
Three bidders were shortlisted May 3 and invited to submit proposals: Archer Western/Heath & Lineback, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc/Barge Design Solutions Inc., and E.R. Snell Contractors Inc./Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering LLC.
The Public Bid Opening was on Nov. 15, the date GDOT awarded the contract to Archer Western/Heath Lineback.
The E.R. Snell/Infrastructure bid was $148.8 million, and C.W. Matthews/Barge bid was $160.0 million.
Archer Western, based in Atlanta, is part of the Walsh Group, headquartered in Chicago. Health & Lineback Engineering is based in Marietta.
MACORTS And Funding
The bulk of the funding for the upgrading of the three SR 316 interchanges will come from federal monies, requiring the approval of MACORTS, the federally mandated metropolitan planning organizations responsible for projects in the northern half of Oconee County as well as all of Clarke County and parts of Madison County.
At its June 12 meeting, the Policy Committee of MACORTS approved modifications to its Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to reflect the bundling of the Jimmy Daniell Road, Virgil Langford Road, and Oconee Connector interchange projects into a single project.
The Policy Committee modified the 2024-2027 TIP by zeroing out most of the future costs for Virgil Langford Road and the Oconee Connector in favor of increased funding for Jimmy Daniell Road.
The movement of money will not affect the actual work on the interchanges.
Total construction costs for the three projects was budgeted at $200.3 million, or considerably less than the bid approved.
Just less than 80 percent of the funding was listed as federal.
MACORTS (Madison Athens-Clarke Oconee Regional Transportation Study) is one of 16 federally mandated metropolitan planning organizations in Georgia.
Detours
Traffic at the Oconee Connector and SR 316 already is very congested, especially in the evenings.
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| Jimmy Daniell Road Possible Detour (Click To Enlarge) |
SR 316 is the major route into and out of Athens for Atlanta travel.
The Connector leads to Watkinsville in the south and to the major commercial hub of the county as well as large and developing health complex to the north.
GDOT documents do not specify how many lanes of traffic on SR 316 and on the Connector will remain open during construction. GDOT has said that temporary lane closures or reduced turn lengths are possible.
The possible closure of a ramp at Jimmy Daniell Road will divert traffic attempting to enter SR 316 westbound for 3.84 miles along Jimmy Daniell Road, New Jimmy Daniell Road, Atlanta Highway, and then Monroe Highway back to SR 316.
The possible closure of a ramp at the Connector will divert traffic along Jimmy Daniell Road and, for northbound traffic headed to the Connector along a completed overpass of Virgil Langford Road, and for southbound traffic, along Mars Hill Road to the Connector.
The proposed detour route to Oconee Connector northbound would be approximately 1.4 miles long. The proposed detour route to Oconee Connector southbound would be approximately 1.3 miles long.
Earlier Descriptions
GDOT has said that the proposed typical section for Jimmy Daniell Road will be two 12-foot travel lanes with a raised median on roundabout approaches to the interchanges ramp terminals.
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| Oconee Connector Possible Detour (Click To Enlarge) |
The outside shoulder utilizes both rural and urban sections. Urban shoulders with sidewalk will be constructed from Vend Drive to Meriweather Drive.
The proposed typical section for Virgil Langford Road calls for two 12-foot travel lanes with a 12-foot flush median for left turns. Urban shoulders with sidewalk will be constructed within the project limits.
The proposed typical Section for the Oconee Connector calls for four 12-foot travel lanes, a 20-foot to 32-foot raised median, and two four-foot bike lanes. Urban shoulders with sidewalks will be constructed within the project limits and tie to existing sidewalks.
Auxiliary lanes will be constructed along SR 316 between Jimmy Daniell Road and the Oconee Connector.
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