Photo Credit: Lee Becker

The Georgia Department of Transportation lifted a stop-work order last week against G.P.’s Enterprises Inc., contractor for the widening of Mars Hill Road, that had halted all work on the road project since December of last year.

GDOT had issued the stop work order after discovering problems with storm water drainage at the bridge over Barber Creek that resulted in dirt and sediment entering Barber Creek.

G.P.’s, based in Auburn, GA, has been prohibited from moving forward with all work on the project except for repair of the drainage system at the bridge.

Oconee County Public Works Director Emil Beshara said on Thursday of last week that G.P.’s is getting ready to start paving again, and he does not expect any delay in completion of the $26.4 million contract by the May 31 deadline.

The GDOT project manager determined that “a significant amount of sediment had been released into Barber Creek as a result of storm water discharge from the road project,” Beshara said in an email message to me on Thursday of last week.

The discharge is from a pipe on the eastern side of the bridge.

For more, visit Oconee County Observations.