Maintenance contracts that will extend the life of roadways, improve your ride and clean up the right of way are getting under way this month in five Southwest Georgia counties.

The maintenance service contracts are supported by the Transportation Funding Act of 2015 (TFA) and represent an approximate $3.8 million investment in this area of the state.

Many of these contracts will cause traffic interruptions due to lane closures. Here are the details:

Atkinson County

Asphalt Paving Systems Inc. will scrub seal and micro surface state Route 520 east and west. This is a multi-step process. Scrub seal is an emulsion mixed with rock that is applied to the roadway and allowed to set. The road will be swept for loose rock but motorists are advised to heed warning signs and slow down while driving through the area. Several days later a layer of emulsion and smaller rock is applied, the micro surface. The finished product will have an appearance similar to asphalt resurfacing. The treatment is an economical way to seal cracks and address other road deficiencies, which makes the roadway last longer.

Work is scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 5 and will impact SR 520 from west of Sue McCranie Street in Willacoochee to west of Parker Street in Pearson. All the work will be done during daylight hours with the exception of the micro surfacing portion through Willacoochee, which will be done at night.  Once work begins the contractor has 90 days to complete the work.

Grady County

The Scruggs Co. will be removing asphalt and replacing it with concrete pavement on SR 111 at the intersection of SR 93 in Cairo. Concrete holds up against wheel path ruts and road cracks that occur over time on asphalt at intersections. Work is scheduled to begin Monday, Oct. 8 and must be complete in 30 days. Scruggs will also resurface SR 93/SR 188 in Cairo from south of SR 111 to north of 12th Avenue. That also begins Monday and must be finished within 45 days.

Irwin and Ben Hill counties

Reeves Construction Co. Inc. is adding two-foot shoulders and edge line rumble strips on SR 107. The contract includes shoulder filling and refurbishing pavement markings beginning east of the Irwin/Turner county line and ending at Irwinville Highway in Ben Hill County. Shoulder widening helps preserve pavement on routes with deteriorating edges. Edge line rumble strips alert drivers that they have strayed onto the shoulder. The contractor plans to begin working Oct. 14 and has 45 days to finish.

Seminole County

Burfords Construction LLC will remove vegetation from the right of way of SR 91 from north of the Georgia/Florida state line to SR 39.in Donalsonville. This is done to reestablish the right of way line and clear vegetation that could block drainage structures. It also provides a clear zone for motorists who may need to stop on the right of way and reduces the chance of injury to the public from a falling tree or running off the road and hitting a tree. Work is scheduled to begin Oct. 22 and must be finished in 120 days.