Buford, Gwinnett and state work together to widen S.R. 20/Buford Drive

Buford, Gwinnett and state work together to widen S.R. 20/Buford Drive from South Lee Street to S.R. 13/Buford Highway. Google Maps

Buford, Gwinnett and state work together to widen S.R. 20/Buford Drive from South Lee Street to S.R. 13/Buford Highway. Google Maps

Gwinnett County Commissioners recently approved a construction contract to widen State Route 20/Buford Drive that is jointly funded by Buford, the Georgia Department of Transportation and Gwinnett County.

The commissioners approved a $5.5 million contract with C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc. to widen State Route 20 from South Lee Street to State Route 13/Buford Highway. S.R. 20 will be widened from two to three lanes in both directions with the installation of a raised concrete median and sidewalks. The S.R. 20 widening project will also include intersection traffic signal upgrades along with drainage improvements, including curb and gutter.

C.W. Matthews will also install sidewalks along the west side of Old Suwanee Road from S.R. 13 to Chatham Road as part of this contract. The Old Suwanee Road improvements include drainage improvements, along with curb and gutter.

Part of the funding for the S.R. 20 project comes from a $1 million Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant from the Georgia DOT that is in addition to the $450,000 LMIG funding previously approved by Georgia DOT. Commissioners also voted to apply for and accept the additional LMIG funds.

Additional funding for the project is provided through SPLOST contributions by Gwinnett and Buford. Gwinnett commissioners voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the city, which provided funding for the S.R. 20 widening contract, with additional funds identified to widen Thompson Mill Road from S.R. 13/Buford Highway to Brickton North Drive. This project is currently in the concept phase.

These projects, which are located in commission districts 1 and 4, will be managed by the county. Funding for Gwinnett’s share comes from the 2009, 2014 and 2017 SPLOST programs.