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Brandon Pond Road reopened after major drainage rebuild; county says FEMA will cover most costs
Summary
County engineers reported the rebuilt double-barrel box culvert and road reopened Dec. 6 after storm damage; contractor finished 27 days early and final construction costs are pending FEMA cost-share that could significantly reduce the county’s obligation.
Brad Deal, Bulloch County engineer, and Ron Nelson, assistant county engineer, presented a final report on the Brandon Pond Road drainage and roadway reconstruction, which reopened to traffic Dec. 6 after a storm-induced washout.
"It has been opened, I think, since early December but we wanted to give a final report on what the end results were and the financial impacts as well," Deal said. Engineers said the existing culvert was undersized for the watershed and that the project used a double-barrel precast box culvert (two 10-foot-by-7-foot barrels, 52 feet long) with extensive inlet and outlet protection.
Nelson said the contractor, McClendon Enterprises, completed the work in 93 days from notice to proceed — 27 days ahead of the 120-day contract time — and the roadway reopened Dec. 6. "A 120 days was the expectation from notice to proceed on September 4, 2024. And in 93 days, they were able to finish this project," he said.
Initial contract value was $547,801; the county asked for a change order estimated at $115,000 during work, and engineers reported a working final construction total of about $593,798.47 pending final invoicing and closeout. Deal and Nelson described a lengthy design and grant-approval timeline: roughly 133 days to select an engineer, 147 days for design and permitting (including a FEMA-required hydraulic and hydrology report), 91 days to procure a contractor, and 93 days for construction.
Deal said the county successfully negotiated higher FEMA mitigation support than an initial replacement estimate: FEMA’s initial replacement estimate was roughly $242,219.55, which the county and its engineer argued should be increased; engineering documentation and mitigation reasoning supported a revised FEMA estimate of about $465,940.78 for the mitigation component. County staff said FEMA generally covered 75% of eligible costs, GEMA 10%, leaving a county share of 15% (county amounts vary by the final eligible total). Deal said additional adjustments tied to a subsequent unnamed storm (“Debbie 2.0” in the report) may further lower the county obligation, and staff estimated a possible final county obligation around $174,065 after additional FEMA participation tied to the second storm; that figure was presented as an estimate and staff said final obligations remain subject to FEMA review.
Engineers emphasized lessons learned and a faster procurement template for future emergency repairs, noting the project required close coordination with FEMA, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on permitting and H&H documentation. Commissioners and residents who use the road were thanked for patience; one commissioner said piecemeal temporary repairs cost the county and taxpayers money and urged patience while staff pursued grant participation.
No formal vote was required for the presentation. County staff said they will continue final invoicing and coordination with FEMA on eligible mitigation funding.
