Walton Way closure extended to Seventh Street starting Monday
Jozsef Papp @JozsefPapp_
The remediation project that has closed Walton Way between Eighth Street and James Brown Boulevard since July will be extended to Seventh Street.
The project was originally expected to remain between Eighth Street and James Brown Boulevard, but Atlanta Gas Light found more areas that needed to be remediated, said John Ussery, Augusta's assistant director of traffic engineering. The closure will be extended to Seventh Street on Monday.
Existing detour routes around the area will be modified to accommodate the new closure. Ussery encourages people to continue to use Telfair Street or find alternative routes away from Walton Way during the closure. Motorists will still be able to use the intersection of Seventh Street and Walton Way, but they won't be able to continue on Walton Way and turn on Eighth Street.
This is the second and final phase of the remediation project by Atlanta Gas Light to take out contaminated soil underneath Walton Way. The area was contaminated by the Augusta Manufactured Gas Plant, which operated at the location from 1852 to 1954. People in the area might notice odors similar to road-building materials from the coal tar residue, according to the company.
Portions of Eighth Street, Taylor Street and a portion of the bike path along the Third Level Canal are also closed for the project. The road is expected to be opened by mid-March.
Although the whole project was expected to take 18 months, the Walton Way portion is expected to be completed and reopened a few weeks before the 2019 Masters Tournament, which begins April 8.