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Chatham County advances preliminary engineering for Little Neck Road–Jimmy Deloach interchange; staff warns repairs will take years
Summary
County staff said preliminary engineering is underway for a diverging‑diamond interchange at Little Neck Road and Jimmy Deloach Parkway, with federal/state funds in place for early phases; short‑term fixes for metal plates and pavement are limited by poor underlying foundation.
Chatham County staff told commissioners they are advancing preliminary engineering for an interchange where Little Neck Road meets Jimmy Deloach Parkway and I‑16, and that federal and state funds in excess of $6 million have been secured for preliminary engineering and right‑of‑way. The county said the planned design is a diverging‑diamond interchange similar to an existing intersection at State Route 307 and I‑16.
“With your approval today, we'll keep this project on track and authorized right away by the end of this fiscal year,” Nathania Panther, the county’s project manager and assistant county engineer, told the commission. Staff said bids for a temporary traffic signal at John Carter Road and DRT Barn Road (near Little Neck) will open Feb. 25 as an interim improvement while the larger interchange design advances.
Commissioners and staff also addressed neighborhood concerns about metal plates and rough transitions placed over utility or construction excavations. County staff said the plates were installed by various contractors, including utilities and municipalities, because the roadway subbase is not adequate in places and temporary plates will sink if permanent base work is not done. “Even if they pull the temporary pavement in there, it's gonna sink because what's under is not gonna hold up anything,” the chair said. Staff said short‑term mitigations — temporary asphalt transition and warning signs — can be requested from the responsible contractor but a full fix requires road reconstruction.
Officials described a phased schedule: staff aim to have the interchange project under construction by the end of the year for the initial federal‑funded segment, with primary construction likely to take 18–24 months; longer, multi‑phase widening and bridge work that depends on additional funding and coordination with neighboring municipalities could extend over several years. Commissioners said the county is coordinating with the City of Savannah, Bloomingdale and GDOT (Georgia Department of Transportation) because different jurisdictions own sections of the road and the bridge widening will require synchronized work to avoid bottlenecks.
Staff urged patience for residents where temporary plates exist, and pledged to press utilities and municipal partners for smoother interim transitions while the larger federal/state funded project proceeds.
