Widening plan pleases leaders

Further progress on the widening of Washington Road near the Goodwill in Martinez had one county commissioner dancing Tuesday and another breathing a sigh of relief.

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"I couldn't agree with you more, Commissioner," said Scott Herring, the county's construction and maintenance services director, to the sigh of Diane Ford after hearing that the project would be moving forward with an approved bid from Reeves Construction of $1,040,263.

Commissioner Tommy Mercer then stood up and began dancing in a circle to the laughs of those in the room at the commission's Public Works Committee meeting.

The project will add a 14-foot-wide center "flush lane" from Flowing Wells Road to Club Car Drive to allow left turns into the Goodwill shopping center.

Commissioners have been displeased with the time the widening has taken to get started because railroad requirements have taken a toll on the project.

Commissioners have complained because CSX required a flagman for the entire time of the project as the work will occur near an adjacent CSX railroad.

The cost, more than $200,000, is based on a year and involves a CSX employee who will keep in contact with the engineers of trains as they pass near the project.

Commissioners reluctantly approved the flagman cost recently so the project could proceed.

On Tuesday, the commission gave tentative approval to the bid awarded to Reeves. A final vote on the topic will occur at the commission's meeting Tuesday.

Although Herring said he couldn't give an exact start date for the project, other officials said it should begin soon and should take about 140 days to complete.