County workers asking drivers for patience this coming roads season

By Jayson Knight

Managing Editor

Grady County District 1 workers are gearing up for roads season, when county workers put a focus on repairing roads while weather conditions allow it.

Grady County Dist. 1 First Deputy Jeff Autry and Grady County Dist. 1 Office Manager Janna Titler spoke last week with the Times about some of the agency’s upcoming projects.

Locations to be resurfaced are: Willow Lake Estates in Bridge Creek; Tecumseh Road (CR 1210) from State Highway 4 east to County Line (CS 2990); Rock Creek Road (CR 1200) from Sara Road (CS 2970) east to County Line (CS 2990).

“The biggest project we will have this summer will be on CS 2930 (Frisco Rd) from CR 1200 to CR 1220,” Autry said Tuesday, May 11. “We have requested bids to complete this project because this area will basically be ‘starting over’ with a new base, etc. What this entails is grinding the road down to the base; mixing portland cement into the road bed for stabilization; replacing the tinhorn(s) under the roadway; and widening this 2 mile stretch before the County will do a complete resurface.”

Last summer, the Dist 1 county crews completed about 70 miles of chip-and-seal resurface last summer. A day at the office for these crews means waking up early, being vulnerable to the weather, and relying upon drivers to mind the rules of the road patiently.

“The main thing we would like from District 1 citizens during this time is their patience and understanding for the delays,” First Deputy Autry said. “Everyone on our road crew is from this community, and they would appreciate returning to their homes safely in the evening. Closing the road is something that must happen in order to keep everyone safe. We aren’t like state highways/interstates where they may be able to keep one or two lanes open. We try to allow ‘thru traffic,’ but we will close the road if needed to keep safety measures in place.

“Will it be inconvenient for some? Yes, but we will have no choice on occasion. Again, we have allowed thru traffic before, and have had instances where a crew member was almost hit by an impatient person. We simply will not do that this year, and will close the road when needed, with no exceptions. We will have the proper signage up and direct traffic to use an alternate route. We also have a Grady County District 1 Facebook page where we will have updates for the locations we will be working on.”