The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has started building the Sardis Road Connector, which the state agency calls "a transformative transportation project aimed at improving mobility in Hall County.
The project was designed to enhance north-south connectivity in Gainesville between Georgia Highway 53 and Ga. 60 while easing congestion on nearby roadways, the department said July 15, 2025.
GDOT awarded the building contract for the Sardis Road Connector project, worth $57.2 million, to E.R. Snell Contractor LLC in Snellville, Ga.
Its crews kicked off the construction at the intersection of Sardis Road and Chestatee Road and will continue building north to Ga. 60 near Mt. Vernon Road, a distance of approximately 3.55 mi. The route follows a combination of existing local roads and newly constructed roadway on a new alignment.
The future Sardis Road Connector will be a four-lane, curb-and-gutter divided roadway with two travel lanes in each direction, separated by a 20-ft.-wide raised median. Sidewalks also will be constructed on both sides of the street, promoting safer pedestrian access and walkability.
"As Hall County continues to grow, so does the demand for safer, more efficient routes. The Sardis Road Connector is a critical piece of that solution," said Grant Waldrop, a GDOT district engineer. "It provides a more direct route between two major state routes and relieves pressure on surrounding local roads."
During construction, Sardis Road will serve as the area's designated street detour, helping to keep traffic moving safely through the area while work is ongoing, GDOT noted.
Georgia Poised to Receive $556M in Military Construction Investments
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff announced July 18, 2025, that he has helped secure the largest military construction and quality-of-life investment for the state since 2010, delivering a major funding package through the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The legislation now heads to the full Senate for a vote and must also pass the U.S. House of Representatives.
As the top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Ossoff led efforts to include $556 million for nearly a dozen projects across Georgia in the newly passed bipartisan appropriations bill.
The Senate bill also includes $30 million — $10 million each for the Army, Navy and Air Force — to strengthen oversight and maintenance of privatized military housing, including investigations into housing conditions.
Among the largest single allocations is $127.4 million for a new Dexter Elementary School at Fort Benning, near Columbus. Ossoff characterized the investment in the Army post as a top priority.
WAGA-TV in Atlanta noted that other major projects in the bill include:
• $166 million for an evidence storage building at Fort Gillem, southeast of Atlanta;
• $119 million for a Trident Refit Facility expansion at St. Mary's, Ga.;
• $45 million for new Army barracks at Fort Stewart, southwest of Savannah; and
• $28 million for a new control tower at Robins Air Force Base in the city of Warner Robins.
Ossoff said the new tower at Robins AFB is essential to support incoming missions and modern air traffic control infrastructure.
"Robins needs world-class infrastructure," he said. "It's time for [the base] to have a new state-of-the-art control tower."
Also tucked within the appropriations bill are:
• $17.5 million for a security forces operations facility and $3.7 million for F-35A simulator design at Moody Air Force Base, near Valdosta;
• $27 million for a dining and training facility and $11.4 million for a corrosion control facility at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport; and
• $3 million for the design of a main gate at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, northeast of Atlanta.
"In my position as the ranking member leading the military construction subcommittee, the draft bill that we have now passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee — a major milestone — would deliver more military construction funding to the state of Georgia than any time in the last 15 years," Ossoff said during a press briefing.
WAGA-TV reported that in reference to the plans for Fort Benning's Dexter Elementary, Ossoff said, "The school that kids are in now is just not up to the standard. We are now making potentially historic progress toward getting it done."
In response to a media question about Fort Gordon, the first-term U.S. senator noted that while this bill focuses on construction, $10 million was included for broader oversight of privatized military housing.
Ossoff added that ongoing issues with housing at Fort Gordon would be addressed through separate legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, which is still being negotiated on Capitol Hill.
"My goal is to include in the defense authorization those provisions to support military families and strengthen oversight of those housing contractors," he said.
Ossoff also emphasized the bipartisan support for the Senate bill, calling it "almost unanimous" despite a polarized political climate.
"We still have a ways to go, but I am doing everything in my power to bring Republicans and Democrats together to get this across the finish line," he said.
