It was in summer 2019 that Dogwood Trail in north Fayette County was closed to thru-traffic so stormwater pipes could be replaced. Though it took far longer than expected, Dogwood Trail is now open to traffic.

Dogwood Trail is now open to all traffic, Fayette County announced on July 30. This section of Dogwood Trail between Farr Road and Tyrone Road has been closed to thru-traffic since August 2019 for a 2017 SPLOST (special purpose local options sales tax) Stormwater Project at Flat Creek. During this time, the construction of Fayette County’s largest culvert, a 48-ft by 14-ft concrete bottomless-arch culvert was completed with added safety improvements, county staff said.

Work along the roadway was initially expected to be complete by December 2019, but the stormwater pipe replacement project was delayed due to safety issues discovered by the gas company in September dealing with design features for relocating a 6-inch gas main.

Commenting on the Dogwood Trail project, SPLOST project manager Courtney Hassenzahl in December said utility relocation continued to be the key task in moving forward with this project.

“Safety concerns with the gas company’s original design for the 6-inch gas main relocation were discovered in September, causing a delay in the construction progress,” Hassenzahl said. “The new design for a temporary modular bridge system for the 6-inch gas main is nearing completion, however the gas company is unable to provide a timeline for relocation completion until all the equipment and supplies required for the modular bridge are secured and delivered to the site.”

The estimated time to complete the project was subsequently moved to late spring or early summer.