Vulcan Materials clears county to abandon stretch of Garrison Road, build new Highway 49 entrance

Representatives of Vulcan Materials told the Jones County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 2 that a project to construct a new entrance on Highway 49 will allow the company to abandon a hazardous stretch of Garrison Road and shift heavy truck traffic off Light And Tie and Garrison Road. Brady Sturkey, director of engineering for Vulcan—nergy (Vulcan Materials) said the new entrance would be one-way into the site, about 16 to 18 feet wide in places, include a turnaround cul-de-sac for local access and be built to current safety standards; he said the company will provide easements for utilities and meet with county staff on waterline work.

Sturkey said the new entrance will move customer traffic onto Highway 49 and reduce hazard at the existing intersection. Commissioners discussed maintenance responsibilities and whether heavy trucks would use the new driveway; Vulcan representatives said the driveway and most work would be on company property and that signs or restrictions could be used to limit customer traffic from using the connection for through trips.

A commissioner moved to accept the change to abandon the specified segment of Garrison Road; the motion was seconded and carried. Staff and Vulcan agreed to finalize deed recordings and related easements and return with final execution documents, targeting work to begin early next year once regulatory and county approvals and deed filings are complete.

The board did not approve construction contracts at the meeting; it voted to accept the abandonment plan and directed staff to complete legal paperwork.