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Commissioners approve up to $200,000 for temporary demo widening using rented equipment
Summary
The board approved using a rented road-widening machine to widen Alvington Road and authorized up to $200,000 in TSPLOST funds for equipment rental and materials, a lower-cost alternative staff said would otherwise run $350,000–$513,000 if contracted.
Meriwether County commissioners on June 24 approved using a rented road-widening machine to widen Alvington Road and authorized up to $200,000 in spending, predominantly from the county’s 2020 TSPLOST allocation.
Public works staff presented a cost estimate showing the county could rent the specialized machine and perform widening in-house for roughly $145,810; two outside contractors provided bids ranging from about $350,000 to more than $513,000. "With the demonstration of the equipment time, we can do this for a $146,000 roughly," Public Works Director Brian Griffin said. Staff recommended using the rental while the machine is available rather than contracting the work at the higher price.
Commissioners also discussed whether additional materials and trucking for nearby intersection work (including the Justin Bullock intersection improvement on White House Parkway) should be approved in advance to avoid delays while renting time remained available. Staff recommended not to exceed a quarter-million dollars overall from the 2020 TSPLOST balance and said they would use 2020 funds before tapping 2025 allocations.
A commissioner moved to approve the rental, materials and trucking for Alvington Road and related nearby segments with a not-to-exceed authorization of $200,000; the motion passed. Staff said the county anticipates having the equipment on site by mid-August and completing work by mid-September, allowing time to continue routine pothole patching while the rental is in place.
Public works confirmed the widening work should remain within existing county right-of-way and not require additional property acquisitions. The board recorded the spending as restricted TSPLOST funds.
