Macon-Bibb County Begins Major Road Repaving Project
On Tuesday, July 16, crews from Reeves Construction commenced a significant road repaving project on nearly 2.5 miles of Columbus Road. This work is part of Macon-Bibb County’s #PavingTheWay program, which aims to repave, restripe, and repair the county’s most deteriorated roads.
Mayor Lester Miller highlighted the longstanding issue of insufficient funding for road maintenance, which led to the accelerated deterioration of roads. He emphasized that the new funding infusion will help address the backlog by targeting the worst roads first.
The Macon-Bibb County government hired RoadBotics to evaluate every mile of county-owned roads, rating them from 1 (best) to 5 (worst) based on factors such as potholes, cracks, and overall structural integrity. The current focus is on roads rated 4 and 5, indicating severe damage.
The initiative is backed by nearly $15 million from the general fund, Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), and state Local Maintenance & Improvement Grants (LMIG), representing a nearly five-fold increase in funding compared to previous years.
County Manager Dr. Keith Moffett reported significant progress on the worst roads and announced plans for a new road study to identify additional areas needing repairs. The County Commission recently approved $243,000 in LMIG funding to acquire road quality scanning and analysis software for further evaluations.
With approximately 1,100 centerline miles of county-maintained roads, it is essential to regularly assess and catalog road conditions to prioritize repairs effectively.
Recently repaved, restriped, and updated roads include:
- Belmont Avenue
- Atwood Circle
- Ann Place
- Atwood Drive
- Hawkins Place
- Evers Place
- Sorrell Drive and Sandy Drive
- Carriage Way area, including Saddle Run Court, Carriage Lakes Court, and Derby Lane
- Forest Hill Road from Rogers Road to Wimbish Road
- Hollingsworth Road from Mumford Road to Log Cabin Drive
- Morgan Drive from Napier Avenue east to Austin Avenue
- Willow Lane
- Franklin Street Lane
- Casablanca Drive
- Weaver Road
- Hubbard Road
- Vine Street from Napier Avenue to Lawton Avenue
- Napier Avenue where it connects to Vine Street
- Ell Street from Houston Avenue to Chappell Street
- Plant Street at Little Richard Penniman Boulevard
- Hunnicut Road off Fulton Mill Road
- Lower Thomaston Road
- Appling Court near Shurling Drive and Eastview Avenue
- Dennis Court near Shurling Drive and Eastview Avenue
- Kevin Drive from Millerfield Road to Shady Road Plaza
- Old Clinton Road from Wood Valley Road to Ben Hill Drive
- Gwinnett Drive
Additionally, C.W. Matthews, Mid-States Striping, Professional Paving Services, and Reeves Construction have been hired to manage various aspects of the project. Other roads that have seen repaving, restriping, or patchwork include Jeffersonville Road, Masseyville Road, Recreation Road, Riggins Mill Road, Rogers Road, Skipper Road, 7th Street, South Walden Road, Duffey Drive, Castlegate Road, Hillcrest Avenue, Masseyville Road, Rocky Creek Road, and Lawrence Drive South.
