THOMASVILLE — Work on sidewalks along Old Albany Road could begin as early as October 2023, Thomasville City Council members learned.

A sidewalk on the eastern side of the road will be built from North Boulevard to Plantation Oaks Drive. The Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program is providing $775,000 for preliminary engineering. Federal sources are expected to pick up 80% of the cost, and the city will provide 20% of the money needed.

“We are excited to get this built for the community,” said Eve Geyer, city project manager. 

The sidewalk will be five feet wide, along with curb and gutter and grass areas with street trees planted. The planned work also includes new storm drainage piping, filling in ditches and establishment of retaining walls where needed. 

While sidewalks won’t be built on the west side of the road, there will be new curb and gutter there. There also will be areas where pedestrians can cross. 

One of the biggest hurdles is a culvert just north of the Villa North apartments. The city is proposing putting in a prefabricated bridge at that spot.

“It will be a huge undertaking to put in,” Geyer said. “It will be a new feature on this road for pedestrians to move safely down the sidewalk and cross this creek at the quad culvert.”

Another pedestrian safety feature in the works is a rapid flash beacon near Hunter’s Chase apartments to bring pedestrians on the western side of the street over to the eastern side. 

“It’s safer than what is going on now,” Council member Wanda Warren said, “because they are walking on the street. It will be much safer than what is going on now.”

Geyer said 60% of the design review has been completed, and the city is at a stopping point as it looks into right-of-way acquisitions. Right-of-way acquisitions will take several months and have to be completed before plans can be completed, Geyer said.

The city will meet with property owners where it needs permanent easements, which the Georgia Department of Transportation prefers to have. 

“We don’t anticipate any acquisition problems at all,” Geyer said. 

The GDOT is expected to release a design and location ad, alerting the community the project is coming and the right-of-way phase is about to start, Geyer said.