CAIRO — Grady County commissioners are looking to move quickly to use state funds to complete a dirt road paving project before the money is set to expire early next year.

Commissioners voted last week to begin seeking bids for contractors to complete what remains of the Johnson Road improvement project, which was being funded by a $685,000 community development block grant (CDBG) that was awarded by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs in 2018. The project will see a three-mile stretch of the dirt road be paved while also improving nearby flood and drainage infrastructure.

County Administrator Buddy Johnson said the project became bogged down over the past year over troubles in acquiring land adjacent to the road.

“We lost a year over land acquisition,” Johnson said. “We have got to make up the difference now.”

The $459,000 in remaining funds were initially set to expire October 1, but the county received an extension until April 15, 2021. Johnson said commissioners need to move fast to use the remaining money before it disappears for good.

Attempting to complete the project using the county’s in-kind labor was ruled out of the question as they would not be able to meet DCA’s deadline.

“I don’t even think we’d get close,” Johnson said. “This will definitely speed the process up.”

Grady County will use as much of the remaining funds as possible and, if necessary, complete the project out of pocket.

“We cannot afford to lose the money and I’m not going to take a chance with that,” Johnson said. “We can all point fingers about what happened, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. It is what it is.”

Johnson said the chances of completing the project on time, even if the process is expedited, are slim.

“We’ll work up to where we can, once (the contractors) come in we’ll finish up what needs to be finished,” he said.

DCA may be willing to grant some leeway if the project is nearing completion when the deadline arrives, Johnson said.