As a result of continued force main construction in the city this week, the City of Valdosta is encouraging motorists who travel Gornto Road to seek a temporary alternate route.
 
Installation of the force main under a portion of Gornto Road, adjacent to the YMCA, will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 12 and is expected to be completed by Friday, Aug. 21, weather permitting. Work will be performed daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. After 5 p.m. each day, the road will re-open to two-way traffic.
 
Due to the nature of the work, traffic on Gornto Road will be reduced to one lane between the railroad tracks and the main entrance of the YMCA.  Motorists are urged to take an alternate route during the construction, leaving only those who must travel that route—i.e. school buses, YMCA patrons, emergency vehicles, etc.—to a minimum.  Motorists who must travel this portion of Gornto Road should allow additional travel time to account for the expected traffic delays.
 
The construction involves a 15-foot wide cut across the three lanes of Gornto Road to make way for the installation of the new force main. This portion of the force main will connect the new Gornto Lift Station, being constructed adjacent to the YMCA, to the force main that will soon be installed along Sherwood Drive. The Sherwood Drive pipe installation is expect to begin in late August.
 
The City of Valdosta is making significant progress on the Force Main Project, which broke ground in June 2014 and is five months ahead of schedule. The project includes the construction of a 6.2-mile force main, four new pump stations, and a new headworks structure and 6-million gallon flow equalization basin to be located at the site of the new Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant. The work, coupled with the construction of the new WWTP which is 16 months ahead of schedule, is expected to resolve the overwhelming majority of the sewer overflows in flood-prone areas of the city during heavy rain events.
 
Although there have been multiple heavy rain events in recent weeks, the City of Valdosta sanitary sewer collection system has experienced no overflows or spills. This can be attributed to the millions of dollars in recent improvement projects that the city has implemented and the progress from these efforts that have allowed the system to operate in compliance under heavy demand. In addition, an aggressive manhole repair and replacement project and the lining and replacement of existing lines have paid dividends by reducing inflow and infiltration into the collection system.
 
The City of Valdosta apologizes for any inconvenience during the duration of the improvement projects, as it continues to place the highest priority on the rehabilitation and replacement of sewer infrastructure throughout the system.
 
Traffic boards are in place on Gornto Road to alert the traveling public of the construction beginning Aug. 12. For more information, contact the Utilities Department at (229) 259-3592 or visit www.valdostacity.com/utilities for updates.