The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners has approved another change to plans on the Ronald Reagan Boulevard Expansion, surprised the prior was approved to begin with.
Overview
Ronald Reagan Blvd is currently undergoing an approximately 3.5-mile expansion that will bridge the two sections of already completed roadway. As of now, Ronald Reagan Blvd ends, going north, at McFarland Parkway by Halcyon before starting back up again just south of Majors Road. Some of the plans include expanding the existing Blue Grass Parkway on the north side of McFarland and the existing Wildebrooke Parkway on the southern end of the north section of Ronald Reagan Boulevard. The planned expansion is over mostly waterlogged soil and wetlands, including Big Creek and Bagley Creek, recent construction is viewable crossing over the Big Creek Greenway. The section was not initially completed due to the expenses associated with creating lasting infrastructure over a section that is prone to flooding and geographically challenging.
Recent Board Approval
On October 11th, the board of commissioners heard a proposal to spend an additional $2.2 million on an Earth Wall Systems geo grid basket system that reduces the cost of maintenance and footprint of the roadway. Initial proposals had listed a 1:1 grade going down the side of the road to the wetlands that would need to be maintained as there would be no structure holding it together. This design also increased the footprint of the project. The new 2:1 grade design requires less maintenance as the structure is held together by various sets of baskets that allow water to rise without posing a threat to the structure as it is secured. This new proposal has an estimated lifespan of 75 to 100 years. The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved this proposal (21:40) after questioning how the prior one was approved as a 1:1 grade.
Project History
The project has been bogged down by poor project management from contractors and difficulties associated with the location itself. The Forsyth Board of Commissioners has directed much of their ire at Pond Co, the engineering company, who had previously misled them on costs associated with project. It is now well over $10 million dollars past the initial estimate, an amount that was great enough to potentially have prevented it from moving forward in the first place. The new 4-lane road is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. It will likely provide much needed relief to Highway 9, a 2-lane highway that runs parallel to GA 400, and feeder streets to GA 400 that offer slower travel times as it requires drivers to make their way on and off of the limited access highway.
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