(Lawrenceville, Ga., Dec. 15, 2009) - Three transportation projects funded by the 2005 and 2009 SPLOST programs received construction approvals from the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. "In the midst of a recession, we're grateful to have these SPLOST revenues available so we can continue making needed road and safety improvements," said Commission Chairman Charles Bannister.

The approval of the construction contract for Section 3A of the Sugarloaf Parkway Extension Phase 1 will create a 1.6 mile section of new four-lane highway east of Lawrenceville. This section will extend from Martins Chapel Road to Campbell Road. The contract was awarded to E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc., the lowest of nine bidders at $15.5 million. This section includes two bridges, one over the Alcovy River, and another as part of the diamond interchange at Campbell Road. The project will also relocate West Campbell Road and build a half-mile Bramlett Shoals Road Connector. Section 3B will take the road from the Campbell Road interchange to State Route 316 and is currently under design. That section will begin construction in 2010.

Section 1 of the Sugarloaf Parkway Extension is nearing completion and will be opened to traffic in early 2010. That section will extend the road from its current end at State Route 20 south of Lawrenceville to a new interchange at New Hope Road. Section 2 is under construction and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2011. That section extends from the New Hope Road interchange to a new interchange at Martins Chapel Road. When completed, the four sections of Phase 1 will extend from SR 20 to SR 316 and will provide connectivity between the south Lawrenceville/Grayson area and the Dacula area.

Strickland and Sons Pipeline, Inc. was the lowest of 10 bidders at $2.2 million to build three-quarters of a mile of new roadway with turn lanes and sidewalk near the Georgia Gwinnett College campus. This extension of Collins Industrial Way will be built as a two-lane roadway with a center turn lane from University Center Lane to Walther Boulevard, providing an additional access to the college.

The intersection of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Abbott's Bridge Road/State Route 120 in Duluth will be improved with the installation of additional turn lanes and sidewalks. The $2.2 million contract went to Baldwin Paving Co., Inc., the lowest of 12 bidders.