By Dean Poling
VALDOSTA — A portion of Baytree Road will be two-laned this week as the City of Remerton is connected to the City of Valdosta’s water system.
Traffic around Gordon Street to the railroad tracks on Bemiss Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction, said Valdosta City Engineer Von Shipman.
No left turns will be allowed in either lane of the affected area, he said.
These changes are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Tuesday and last through Thursday morning, with a deadline promised of no later than noon Thursday, Shipman said.
The Valdosta traffic center will be monitoring the road in an effort to make the loss of lanes as smooth as possible.
Advance signs will warn of the lane closures in six locations leading to the affected area, Shipman said, giving motorists an opportunity to seek alternate routes.
Workers are expected to work around the clock on the project, with more intense work taking place during the nighttime hours when traffic is less congested.
Planners also wanted to get the work finished now prior to Thanksgiving and the higher traffic counts that come with Christmas shopping during the holiday season, Shipman said. Businesses in the area along Baytree have been informed of the project.
While the work may pose a traffic inconvenience for a couple of days, it will eventually allow Remerton to access water from the City of Valdosta.
The project will connect Valdosta water lines to one of Remerton’s water mains.
There should be no disruption of water services for Valdosta or Remerton. If all goes as planned, Shipman said, Remerton could possibly be hooked to Valdosta water by mid December.
