By-pass Sewer Expansion Project Ahead of Schedule

Work continues to move along on water and sewer improvements along the Toccoa By-pass in Stephens County.

That’s according to Stephens County Development Authority Executive Director Tim Martin.

He said that crews working on the project are moving ahead of schedule.

“There are always surprises when you work on projects that are underground, but even though we have seen a little bit of that, Legacy Group, the contractors that we hired to do this work, have vast experience and they are well-ahead of schedule,” said Martin. “Things are progressing very, very nicely.”

Heading up construction on the project is a firm called the Legacy Group, which Martin said came in with a bid just under the budgeted amount of $3.5 million.

Local governments and the Development Authority have received state and federal grant money for most of the project to go along with SPLOST funds that are available.

Martin said that all of the state funding provided for the project has been spent and federal funding sources are now being used.

This phase of expansion to the city of Toccoa’s sewer system will cover an area along the Toccoa By-pass between Big A Road and Georgia Highway 106.

The project also includes water system improvements necessary to match the sewer system expansion and improvements.

Martin said this project is the first of two phases.

“This is the Veterans’ Parkway leg,” said Martin. “It is a $10 million total project and this is half of it. The second project will be along Big A Road and that is a couple of years out into the future. This project is scheduled to be completed by contract on July 1, but it will be completed well before then. It will bring sanitary sewer and water services along the Parkway and it will allow us to improve our systems south of the Parkway as well.”

According to Martin, this project is installing the trunk lines, but specific lines for specific properties would not be built until they are needed.