Houston County approves widening of Dunbar Road

WARNER ROBINS -- The Houston County Commission on Tuesday approved a widening project that should make a well-traveled, two-lane road safer.

The board approved a $1.2 million contract with McCoy Grading to widen Dunbar Road, which is currently a tight fit for traffic. The widening would stretch from Houston Lake Road to U.S. 41.

Unlike some other widening projects in the county, which have added one or more lanes, the Dunbar project is adding about 2 feet of paving to each side, as well as an unpaved shoulder. Right now the road has virtually no shoulder.

Operations Director Robbie Dunbar, whose great-grandfather was the road's namesake, said work might start within two or three weeks. The work is expected to take about a year.

Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker said it will be a significant safety improvement.

"It's really a substandard road," he said. "The width of the lanes is very narrow."

The project also will add a turning lane at the U.S. 41 intersection as well as the Houston Lake Road intersection.

The project is funded by the 2012 special purpose local option sales tax. Because part of the project includes a state highway, the county is getting about $200,000 from the state for the project, so the actual cost to the SPLOST fund will be about $1 million.

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Houston County approves widening of Dunbar Road ."