Chattahoochee County approves GDOT maintenance agreement for planned roundabout at SR 1/SR 520 and Wells Street

The Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously March 4 to approve a Right‑of‑Way Mowing & Maintenance Agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation for Project ID 0015687, which supports landscaping and sidewalk work tied to a proposed single‑lane roundabout at the intersection of State Route 1/State Route 520 and County Road 109 (Wells Street). Commissioner Damon Hoyte moved to approve the agreement; Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous.

The GDOT agreement, provided to the commission in project documents and correspondence from the department, grants the county the right to perform specified maintenance activities within the department’s right‑of‑way between milepost 4.76 and 5.56 and describes responsibilities the county must meet if it accepts the work. Those responsibilities include routine tasks such as watering, pruning, mowing and litter removal; adherence to the Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for temporary traffic control; pesticide/herbicide application under licensed supervision; and procedures for work that would interfere with traffic or pedestrians. The document indicates the county will bear all costs and liabilities associated with the maintenance work and that the agreement duration may extend up to 50 years from the effective date unless terminated earlier.

The commission packet included a GDOT cover letter and a detailed maintenance exhibit listing items such as mulch and planting specifications, tree and shrub species options, and a contact for GDOT project management. The GDOT correspondence asked that the county execute the agreement through the department’s Contract Authorization Tracking System, after which GDOT would route the document for its signatures and return one fully executed copy for the county’s project file.

Chairman Charles Coffey noted the agreement is intended to ensure the proposed roundabout’s landscaping and pedestrian elements remain safe and maintained. No opposing comments or amendments were recorded during the public meeting. The board entered executive session later in the meeting for legal matters and reconvened without further action on this item.

Next steps: county staff will complete the administrative execution steps specified by GDOT and coordinate with the department’s project manager for the roundabout’s construction and handover of maintenance responsibilities.