Fayette | News

Hwy. 74S widening OK’d by DOT

Fri, 09/25/2009 - 2:24pm
By: John Munford

A contract for the second phase of widening Ga. Highway 74 south in Peachtree City has been awarded by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The winning bidder was C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. with a $16.9 million bid for the 3.38 mile project. The scope of work includes building a new bridge over Flat Creek so the roadway can be realigned in that area.

The project is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 31, 2011.

The next step is for C.W. Matthews officials to sign the contract. After that, work is expected to begin in 30-45 days, DOT officials said.

The widening will stretch from the current terminus at Cooper Circle, ending at Ga. Highway 85. It also includes the realignment of Padgett Road to directly link up with Ga. Highway 85 at the existing traffic light.

Also part of the project is the realignment of Rockaway Road so it will link up with the existing traffic light on Hwy. 74 at Holly Grove Road.

The project has been designated for federal stimulus funding with $37.03 million set aside in advance of the project bid coming in so low.

It is not immediately known if DOT will be allowed to use the savings on other stimulus transportation projects.

Fayette is also slated to get other stimulus funding for transportation projects, including $2.82 million for resurfacing and maintenance on Hwy. 85 between Hwy. 74 and Ga. Highway 92. The county is also projected to get $1.1 million in funds for other road resurfacing projects.

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GDOT has just paid C W Matthews
Submitted by PTCGOIL on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 9:53pm.

for work done on Hwy 74 from 12 months ago. This from the VP at Matthews who is in charge of this project. This VP told me earlier this week that he refused to free up his work crews to work this road until GDOT paid him. His company has been doing work for GDOT for over 60 years, and they stopped work on this over MONEY? Like GDOT was NOT going to pay them? He also said we should all be thankful to now enjoy this newly widened road. His exact words. If I could have spit at him thru the phone, I would have.

Read the AJC.com article on "GDOT To Pay For Road Signs From Stimulus Money at $1500. PER SIGN" (PLUS $100. to install each). This is OUR STIMULUS MONEY TO GENERATE JOBS and C W Matthews, thru GDOT, which has just received MILLIONS of fed. money to BUILD ROAD AND BRIDGES, is using it to make their OWN signs. You know, those disgusting 10 foot tall bright orange signs that say "Putting America To Work" and have HUGE green signs underneath that say "Project Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act".

The estimate, according to this article, to Georgia taxpayers will be around $600,000. For temporary signs. This waste of fed. money is from CW Matthews ALONE-it is their decision to put these signs up. This contractor is so in bed with the GDOT it is nauseating. They steal our tax dollars, they blame each other for work not getting done, and they don't give a rat's a** about the end user of these roads.

We can wait till *&^% freezes over for these roads to be finished while thieves like CW Matthews use this money to line their pockets.
And now that the Fayette County Commissioners have siphoned off this waste of fed. money for the Hwy 74 extension above, (when it was already scheduled to be funded locally) you will see shortly these same trashy $1,700. signs at EACH end of this road. Watch for it at Cooper Circle and at the other end at Starr's Mill (Hwy 85). Total of $3,400.

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Is this the same bunch who refuses the finish the current
Submitted by Spyglass on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 2:51pm.

74 South widening? IF so, this is beyond ridiculous.

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DOT Contracts
Submitted by Busy Bee on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 3:15pm.

For what it's worth, the contractor may have stopped work because the DOT has not paid them yet. DOT is famous for being slow to pay, and the only leverage a contractor has is to stop work. Don't know any particulars in this case, but it is worth considering before assuming that the blame lies with just the contractor.

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BUSY BEE
Submitted by PTCGOIL on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 9:56pm.

Since you work for C W Matthews, don't even come here to type your "don't know the particulars" crap.

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