Heavy trucks braking and idling at the Tift County State Route (SR) 7 and Southwell Boulevard intersection damage the asphalt, a problem about to be solved with concrete.

Ruts in the wheel paths and cracks in the asphalt repeatedly form at the intersection, which gets a large volume of truck traffic to Love's Travel Stop and the industrial park. Concrete holds up well under these conditions so the Georgia Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to replace the asphalt with nine inches of concrete. Work is expected to begin by the end of the month.

The intersection will not close but traffic will shift as needed so motorists should expect lane closures and delays. Contractor Precision 2000 Inc. plans to remove asphalt during the day, a process known as milling, and pour concrete at night when it is cooler. The concrete must cure to strengthen before traffic is shifted onto it. Concrete will be poured on all lanes immediately east, west, north and south of the intersection.

Southwell Boulevard from SR 7 going east to Vernon Drive will be closed for the duration of the work, which could take two weeks depending on weather. Traffic will be routed onto SR 7, SR 125 and Vernon Drive and detour signs will be posted.

The Southwell Boulevard at SR 7 intersection asphalt approaches will also be milled and resurfaced to smoothly tie in to the concrete. Traffic will not be detoured for the asphalt work, but will shift as needed.

These pavement preservation activities are being done as maintenance service contracts that are paid for by the Transportation Funding Act (TFA) of 2015. Georgia DOT uses the sustained annual revenue for much-needed routine maintenance and capital improvements.