DOT awards bid for 37/76 roundabout
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The construction project for a roundabout to be built at the intersection of Highway 37 and Highway 76 east of Adel was in the June 21 bid letting (when bids are received and opened), and it was awarded July 5, according to Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) District 4.
“We do not have a start date for construction,” said Nita Birmingham, GDOT District Communications Specialist. “GDOT has to issue what is called a notice to proceed to the contractor, which may take an additional 30 days. Once that happens, the contractor can start work. That will be up to the contractor.”
The low bidder for the roundabout project (FED PROJECT 0018374) was Reames and Son Construction Company Inc. of Valdosta. The bid amount was $4,248,726.80.
The bid award information lists as DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) participants (subcontractors): Doyle Hancock & Sons Construction Inc., water distribution system; Middle Georgia Signs – Design Effex, Inc., traffic control and highway signs; and Corbett Electrical Construction Inc., lighting standards and luminaires.
Completion date is listed on the bid award information as Sept. 30, 2025.
Asked about the funding sources, Ms. Birmingham said the roundabout is not a Transportation Investment Act (TIA) project. The funding will be from federal and state money, 80 percent federal and 20 percent state. She added that the construction contract does not include preliminary engineering and right-of-way acquisition costs.
The roundabout will be constructed at what is now the Highway 37/Highway 76 “Y” intersection east of Adel. The intersection has been the location of several wrecks, a number with injuries and fatalities, over the years.
Cook High School, school athletic facilities, the Cook County Schools Central Office, and the Adel-Cook Sports Complex are located farther east of the intersection on 37. Traffic congestion is heavy at times in that area, especially at the beginning and end of school days, and during special school events such as football games and graduation. The roundabout is intended to help make traffic flow safer through the intersection.
State Rep. Penny Houston contacted DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry, who asked the District DOT office to accelerate the process of starting the project.
The contractor will have to relocate Highways 37 and 76 and Living Way Road at new angles in that area to meet the design criteria for the roundabout. The westernmost limits of the project go past Robert Day Road.