Another Section of Sugarloaf Parkway Opened

With just one section left to complete the project, another section of the current Sugarloaf Parkway extension was opened to traffic last week. The project was designed to improve mobility in the central and eastern part of Gwinnett County.

The section opened Aug. 18 was the 1.4-mile stretch that runs from an interchange at Martins Chapel Road to another at West Campbell Road. Officials said the project includes another mile of road upgrades in the area with a new Bramlett Shoals Connector and a realignment of Campbell Road.

“We are pleased to open this section of the Sugarloaf Parkway extension on budget and ahead of schedule,” said Gwinnett Department of Transportation Director Brian Allen in a press release. “This is part of our ongoing commitment to complete the road to Peachtree Industrial in Sugar Hill.”

The final leg from West Campbell Road to Highway 316 is under construction and scheduled to open in the second half of 2012. Funding for most of the Sugarloaf Parkway extension from State Route 20/Grayson Highway south of Lawrenceville to 316 has come from the voter-approved 2009 Special Local Option Sales Tax program. At a cost of $15.5 million, E.R. Snell Contractor, In. of Snellville built the new section with Precision Planning Inc. engineering the four-lane divided highway and two ridges over the Alcovy River. Moreland Associates, Inc. provided project management.

Officials said this last section included 16,125 feet of guardrail, 600,000 yards of embankment, 12,000 feet of fence, 8,500 linear feet of fiber optic cable for traffic monitoring and two 918 linear foot bridge decks over the Alcovy River.