Philema Road traffic delays expected during resurfacing work

LEESBURG — Pavement resurfacing along Philema Road in Lee County is expected to cause some ongoing traffic delays through the end of August.

The work, which began Friday, is a federally funded Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) project that involves pulling up the old material and laying down new asphalt along the curbs and gutters, as well as resurfacing the main road. Workers are currently operating machinery in Lee County just past Chehaw.

County Co-Manager Mike Sistrunk said he believes a portion of that roadway was resurfaced back in 1991, but the state highway still needed an upgrade.

“We were blessed to have three major highways in our county approved for funding, which allows the work to get done right away,” Sistrunk said.

“The cost of the Philema road project is $2,647,664 — paid for with federal funds,” said Derrick Wilkerson, an engineer who oversees regional road projects for the GDOT office in Albany.

The contract for the roadwork was awarded to Oxford Construction.

Other Lee County road projects include the recently completed work on State Routes 133 and 195 in Leesburg and the SR 3 bypass.

Next up, according to Wilkerson, will be Georgia SR 520, which also runs through Terrell and Dougherty counties.

“We are finishing up the work in Terrell County right now and expect to begin repaving the Lee County section in about a month, by late August,” Wilkerson said.

He said all of the anticipated time-frames for roadwork are contingent upon the weather. Not only does rainy weather keep workers from their job, but asphalt also has to dry out to ensure a smooth surface.

As for traffic delays along Philema Road, Wilkerson said those are to be expected.

“The biggest delays will be along the two-lane areas, but the four-lane portions of the road should only have minor slowing down as people commute to and from work,” Wilkerson said.

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