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Board, engineers discuss phasing, traffic and penalties for proposed roundabout near school
Summary
Burke County school officials and county/transportation representatives questioned phasing, traffic maintenance and contract penalties for a proposed roundabout; engineers said contractors must maintain school access and that penalty clauses and advance notices can be written into the contract.
Burke County school board members and transportation staff spent more than an hour on Wednesday discussing a proposed roundabout and how construction would affect school traffic, drop-off and pick-up.
The discussion focused on phasing, contractor responsibilities and notification to the school. Franklin Lane, identified on the call as a Department of Education representative, asked whether the county would provide advance notice of traffic changes so the school could alert transportation staff and parents. “Would we have that in advance so that we could communicate it to not only our transportation department, but also parents of students being dropped off?” Lane asked.
A project representative told the board the contractor would be required to maintain traffic in and out of the school at all times and said much of the disruptive work could be scheduled during the summer months. “The contractor would have to maintain traffic in and out of the school at all times,” the project representative said. The representative added the work is largely “symmetrical widened” pavement and that crews could do much of the preliminary and heavier work when school is not in session to reduce interruptions.
Board members pressed for specific assurances about phasing, notice and enforcement. The project representative said the contract can require the contractor to provide advance notice of planned traffic changes — for example, a set number of days’ notice before a change — and can limit daily working hours to avoid peak drop-off and pick-up times. The representative also said drainage and other site work could be scheduled for low-traffic periods.
On penalties for late completion, the representative said standard liquidated-damages provisions are common and that amounts can range. “I think the standard is $750 per day,” the representative said, and added he had seen penalties “as high as $2,500” per day in other projects. Board members said they want clearer documentation before making any final decision and asked for written contract language, an expected schedule and a notification plan.
No formal vote or contract award occurred at the meeting; the board said it did not have enough information to approve the project that night and requested additional details, including a draft contract clause on notice to the school and a proposed phasing and schedule.
Why this matters: The roundabout would be built on a corridor used for student drop-off and bus traffic; the board sought concrete scheduling and coordination safeguards to avoid safety risks and disruption to school operations.
What’s next: Board members asked county staff to return with a recommended phasing plan, a proposed notification schedule for the school community and draft contract language describing liquidated damages and working hours.
