A water line installation project that covered much of downtown Ellijay is wrapping up, and drivers will be glad to know that paving the remaining rough spots is among the final tasks.
The work will be done in conjunction with paving that the City of Ellijay is having done in other parts of town, said Gary McVey, water authority director.
Piggybacking on paving that the city is doing in other areas will result in considerable cost savings for the water authority, he added.
“(This project) took a lot longer than we anticipated. We knew it was going to be a tough job and that it was going to be pretty destructive. We had this (paving) planned as we planned the project. What we didn’t anticipate was the contractor running over by six months,” McVey said. “Anytime you’re dealing with a high traffic area, especially in the old part of town, it’s a tough job and real intrusive, but (this) is a job that really needed to be done, and I think the purpose of the project will benefit the community for many years to come.”
Areas to be paved include sections of South Main Street, East Spring Street, West Spring Street and South Church Street. Asphalt will go over concrete that’s already been put down to cover cuts in the roads, McVey noted.
“This does not include River Street, which is a DOT road. That’s why the contractor paved the asphalt (there). Right now, they’re working on doing the portion of the streetscape they damaged, which is the crossing in front of Church Street and North Avenue,” he added.
At a June 24 meeting, water authority board members approved hiring Colditz Paving, which is also doing the work for Ellijay, to pave the remaining areas for an amount not to exceed $260,000.
The paving is expected to start in two to three weeks, McVey said.