THOMASVILLE — City of Thomasville contractors are set to begin work on the Remington Avenue Streetscape Project on Monday, May 19.  The project will provide much-needed improvements to the portion of the corridor stretching along Remington Avenue and East Pinetree Boulevard to the intersection of Kern Street and Smith Avenue. The Thomasville City Council approved the project award to The Scruggs Company in the amount of $5,130,734.94 on January 13, 2025.

The current Phase 1 project scope includes:

• Improvements to water, stormwater, and wastewater systems
• Milling/resurfacing of the entire road in the project area
• Reducing road width and adding sidewalks on both sides of Kern Street between Smith Avenue and Reid Street
• Roundabout addition at Kern Street/Reid Street/Remington Avenue
• Addition of a 3-way signalized light at Covington Avenue
• New Butler-Mason YMCA driveway
• Concrete median in the lane section of Remington Avenue near East Pinetree Boulevard for right-in/right-out

“We are extremely excited to move this long-awaited project into the construction stage,” said Chris White, City Manager. “Public input and visioning sessions for the Remington Project date back to 2018. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and other variables have delayed and altered the scope of this project. We are proud of the important features being addressed in Phase 1 of this vital project for one of our most traveled roadways.”

According to Mark Harmon, Executive Director of Engineering and Inspections, public input sessions provided the City with much-needed input regarding the community’s desire for roadway improvements.

“Phase 1 will primarily address roadway safety, infrastructure improvements, and street paving issues,” said Harmon. “A reduction of the road width at the intersection of Kern Street and Smith Avenue along with the addition of a concrete median in the five-lane section of the Remington Avenue and East Pinetree Boulevard intersection will greatly improve roadway safety and flow of traffic. The addition of a 3-way signalized light at the Remington Avenue and Covington Avenue intersection will also assist with speed reduction.”

The addition of a roundabout at the intersection of Kern Street, Reid Street, and Remington Avenue is another major phase in this project. “We expect the construction of the proposed roundabout to require a significant amount of time to complete,” said Harmon. “According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, roundabouts provide a reduced speed environment and offer substantial safety advantages and excellent performance in terms of traffic flow.”

Harmon says all of the City’s major projects include a focus on infrastructure improvements.

“Every project we undertake is an opportunity to upgrade our aging infrastructure,” noted Harmon. “The entire project area will receive much needed water and wastewater system improvements. Once we have addressed infrastructure upgrades and the roundabout is completed, the entire project area will be milled and resurfaced.”

Early projected costs for the Remington Project were approximately $9 million but ballooned to over $22 million.

“Through public input sessions dating back to 2018, we discovered some features that were coveted by the community such as safe pedestrian access, traffic calming to control speed, landscaping, and road surfacing,” said Harmon. “However, as the project scope expanded and inflation driven by the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased costs, the City had to reassess what was financially feasible while addressing features important to the project and community.”

Phase 1 of this project is primarily being funded through 2018 SPLOST revenues. The City plans to address additional community priorities, such as sidewalks along Remington Avenue from the roundabout to East Pinetree Boulevard, in future phases of the project.

“Weather permitting, we anticipate this project to be completed in 300 days,” said White. “While we do expect temporary road and lane closures and additional detours, we are confident that the coordinated efforts between all parties will minimize the inconveniences created for our citizens and provide a safer and enhanced corridor for both motorists and pedestrians.”

For the latest project updates or to register for the City’s email list, visit thomasville.org/Remington. For more information, please contact Ricky Zambrano, Public Information Manager, at 229-227-7041 or email ricky.zambrano@thomasville.org.