Heavy trucks braking and stopping at a downtown Tifton intersection damage the asphalt, a problem about to be solved with the addition of concrete on US 82/state Route 520.

Ruts in the wheel paths and cracks in the asphalt have repeatedly formed at the traffic signal on US 82 at US 41/SR 7/South Main Street. Georgia Department of Transportation crews resurfaced the area four years ago, but it is again in need of repair.

Concrete, which holds up longer than asphalt under these conditions, is going to be used to top the pavement immediately east and west of the South Main Street intersection. Georgia DOT has awarded an $817,827 maintenance service contract to Reeves Construction Co. Inc. for pavement preservation.

Reeves expects to begin work Monday, provided the weather remains warm and it doesn't rain. This will require lane closures, but will be done  between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. to avoid interfering with daytime traffic. It is expected to take one or two weeks to complete depending on weather and the contractor's schedule.

The area affected will be between the intersections of Commerce Way and Tift Avenue. The contractor will be putting four inches of concrete pavement on the two through lanes and the left turn lane of US 82 going westbound. Concrete pavement will be put on the two eastbound through lanes.

The other lanes between Commerce Way and Tift Avenue will be milled and resurfaced with asphalt, including the intersection. Milling is the removal of the top layer of asphalt prior to resurfacing.

Traffic loop installation and striping will also be done. Traffic loops, sensors buried in the road, detect the presence of traffic waiting at the signal, which can reduce the length of time a green signal is given to an empty road.

The most recent statistics available show the annual average daily traffic count was 18,800 on US 82 near Tift Avenue. About 11 percent was truck traffic, but that was in 2016. It is expected that the numbers have increased since. AADT is the total volume of vehicle traffic for a year divided by 365 days.