$62.7 million contract brings Albany-to-Valdosta road project closer to completion

ALBANY — A four-lane highway project linking Albany to Valdosta and U.S. Interstate 75 South got a major boost this week with the awarding of a contract to complete roughly one-third of the remaining work on the project.

The Georgia Department of Transportation announced the $62.7 million contract with Reames and Son Construction of Valdosta on Tuesday. It is the largest of 15 construction projects now set for construction, totaling $103.74 million.

The 8.55 mile stretch of roadway in Colquitt County will complete the work from U.S. 319/Georgia Highway 35 north to Mike Horne Road. Eventually the work will complete four-laning to the Mock Road intersection in Dougherty County.

The Valdosta-to-Moultrie stretch of the highway had previously been completed.

“The widening of 133 has been a priority of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the region for some time,” chamber President and CEO Barbara Rivera Holmes said during a Wednesday telephone interview. “It increases economic competitiveness, traffic flow for residents and businesses, and increases safety. Any time we get infrastructure improvements, it’s a huge win.”

Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who was a Moultrie resident, helped secure funding to get the ball rolling on the work that provides four-lane access to the I-75 corridor during his tenure in Congress. Over the years, sections from a few miles to 11 miles have been funded and completed.

With existing four-lane highways linking in Moultrie from Thomasville and Tallahassee, Tifton and Valdosta, the 133 project will be a big addition, said Colquitt County Administrator Chas Cannon.

“That’s why they call us the hub of southwest Georgia,” he said. “The 133 project will add to that. Having Saxby involved didn’t hurt. Other people have helped on the state and local level as well.”

The project has been on the wish list in Colquitt County and other cities and counties in the region for several decades, Cannon said.

“I’m glad some of our commissioners who worked on this so hard in the ’90s are still around to see this,” he said. “Transportation has been a huge issue, especially the last few years, (and) people will be able to move their product from state to state and location to location easier. That affects their bottom line. It really helps them be more efficient.”

The transportation department did not give a date for completion of the project.

“We are thankful for GDOT’s continued investment in south Georgia, and are all very anxious to see this project come to fruition,” Jana Dyke, president and CEO of the Albany-Dougherty County Economic Development Commission, said in an email response. “This expansion will have a tremendous impact on not only the Marine Corps Logistics Base, but also our existing industries accessing both I-75 & I-10.”