Work to begin on North Belair Road

As one Columbia County road project nears its end, another is soon to begin.

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Work starts Monday on a widening project for North Belair Road between Washington Road and Industrial Park Drive.

The $4.9 million construction project will widen that portion of North Belair Road from three to five lanes.

The project will include a dual turn lane for motorists turning east onto Washington Road. Also, another lane of traffic will be added next to First Baptist Church of Evans for motorists heading north.

"It will be quite an improvement," said Matt Schlachter, interim director of Construction and Maintenance Services.

The five lanes will taper to three at the site of U.S. Battery near the intersection of North Belair Road and Industrial Park Drive.

North Belair Road will remain open during construction. The project might be completed by next summer, Schlachter said.

Closer to the center of the county, an extension of William Few Parkway south to Chamblin Road could finish within two months, Schlachter said.

County officials recently received a state Department of Transportation permit allowing them to tie the extension into Columbia Road.

Work crews are waiting for AT&T to complete their relocation of fiber optic cables on Columbia Road to accommodate construction, Schlachter said.

Once finished, the $2.3 million William Few Parkway extension should alleviate traffic generated by the new Grovetown High School and other future facilities on Chamblin Road.

Upcoming projects on Chamblin Road likely to generate more traffic include a new elementary school, a Georgia State Patrol post, a county Animal Care and Control and Health Department complex, and a county recycling center.