Council hears transportation update: resurfacing groups, sidewalks, traffic calming and utility relocations

Public Works staff presented a quarterly transportation update to the East Point City Council on March 17, outlining years of resurfacing, active construction, design projects and upcoming bid schedules for T‑SPLOST (transportation) and LMIG (Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant) funded work.

Assistant Public Works Director Caddell Hall and Transportation Engineer Chardonnay Finson reported that since fiscal year 2018 the city has completed about 22 centerline miles of resurfacing paid by T‑SPLOST and roughly 13 miles using LMIG funds, and has added about 15 miles of T‑SPLOST sidewalks and 2.5 miles of LMIG sidewalks. The presentation included current active sites: Elle Circle/Washington Road realignment and paving, Ben Hill Road sidewalk nearing completion, traffic calming installations on Winburn and Sir Henry, curb ramp ADA corrections at 10 locations, and a downtown roadway reconstruction project where concrete and utility work continue.

Finson said contractors are scheduled to start asphalt placement on the Elle Circle/Washington Road work and that the Ben Hill sidewalk project should be finished by the end of the month after cleanup and final inspection. She warned that a multimillion‑dollar project on North Commerce and Center Parkway will require a 45‑day period of disruptive work and asked residents to account for additional travel time.

Public Works described three resurfacing bundles planned for advertisement as separate bid groups: Group A (streets in Wards A and C), Group B (primarily Ward B with some C and D), and Group C (about 11 miles slated for hot‑in‑place recycling on roads in better condition). Staff said the procurement advertisement was being prepared and that award recommendations would follow the typical 30‑day bid period.

Projects further out include Janus Drive realignment, Sylvan Road sidewalk design (delayed by utility pole relocations), Washington Road/Hammershoft intersection improvements (left‑turn lane for school bus traffic), and the Connolly Drive sidewalk project. Staff also noted a pending GDOT railroad crossing improvement at Bayard Street and participation in the Cleveland Avenue ART project with MARTA.

Council members pressed staff for clearer timelines and local impacts. Council member Butler asked specifically about Elle Circle paving and whether the entire circle would be repaved; staff said the current contract covers new alignment sections and that the wider resurfacing list will be bid as the larger program, with final paving likely in the first weeks of the next month. Butler also raised concerns that widespread installation of speed tables could slow emergency response; staff said emergency vehicles are designed to pass over approved speed tables and offered to run response‑time tests in coordination with Fire and Police.

Finson said the city is coordinating with Comcast, AT&T and power companies to relocate utility lines where they conflict with planned sidewalks; some projects are waiting on those relocations. Staff noted the city is pursuing a bike and pedestrian master plan and a gateway/wayfinding project pending funding approval.

Provenance: - topicintro: excerpt: "Good evening, Hammond Caddell Hall, the assistant public works director..." (block_id: "3512.355", local_start:0, local_end:80) - topfinish: excerpt: "So at this point, we'll turn it over to any questions or comments you have." (block_id: "4133.1553", local_start:0, local_end:60)

sections":{"lede":"Public Works told council on March 17 that East Point has completed dozens of miles of resurfacing and sidewalks under T‑SPLOST and LMIG and outlined major resurfacing groups, sidewalk projects and utility coordination needed before final paving.","nut_graf":"Staff presented three resurfacing bid groups, active sidewalk and intersection work and recurring coordination needs with utilities and transit agencies; council members asked for clearer timelines for Elle Circle and cautioned about traffic calming and emergency response impacts.","ending":"Staff will advertise resurfacing groups to procurement, continue utility coordination for sidewalk projects, and return with contractor awards and more precise schedules after the bid period."},"topic_primary":"transportation","topics":[{"name":"roads and resurfacing","justification":"Detailed resurfacing plan, T‑SPLOST/LMIG stats and bid groups A/B/C were presented.","scoring":{"topic_relevance":0.97,