On the Road Again
Highway 25 widening to be complete by 2009
By Anne Marie Kyzer annemariek@thetruecitizen.com

There's an end in sight for the Highway 25 widening project in Burke County ... but it's still more than a year away.

The entire project, including the four-lane highway and new entrance and exit ramps for Burke Veterans Parkway, should be complete by June 2009, according to Department of Transportation spokesperson Cissy McNure.

A vast portion of the four-lane roadway through the county opened to traffic about six months ago, but work on portions immediately north and south of Waynesboro and the bypass ramps appeared abandoned.

The contractor for the project, Douglas Asphalt Company, was placed in default more than a year ago. Since then, its surety company, Arch Insurance, has hired Reeves Construction out of Macon to finish the job.

McNure said that rain and cold temperatures have slowed progress some but they expect the pace to pick up as spring draws near.

She added that the new northbound lanes south of Waynesboro are expected to open to traffic very soon. Those lanes will accommodate two-way traffic while workers tear out the old roadway and replace it with new southbound lanes.