Motorists traveling around Henry County, Ga., south of Atlanta, are beginning to notice clearing and road work on the area's McDonough Parkway Extension. The work zone is located in the vicinity of the junction of Georgia Highway 155 and Turner Church Road on the north end of McDonough, the county seat.
When complete, the road extension will help establish a bypass around the McDonough town square and improve east-west connectivity through the area. It also will provide residents with an alternate route to the historic downtown district.
The project is made possible by Henry County's Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST). The new roadway represents the first of seven major projects to advance to the construction phase through the T-SPLOST initiative.
Henry County officials said in an Aug. 15 news release that the municipality collaborated with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) over the past few years to reach this point in the McDonough Parkway Extension effort and move the project forward to construction.
GDOT District 3 Commissioner Dee Anglyn shared his excitement for the project.
"I am thrilled about the enhanced connectivity that will help move residents around McDonough more efficiently," he told the Henry Herald. "Soon, McDonough Parkway will link to South [Georgia] Highway 155, [state] Highway 20/81, Jonesboro Road, [state] Highway 42, and back to North [Georgia] Highway 155. Thank you to our residents for investing in our community with SPLOST dollars."
In April, the Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a construction contract with Southeastern Site Development Inc. in Newnan, Ga., at a projected cost of $14.5 million. Later, the county issued a notice to proceed for the contractor to begin work on July 15.
The project's estimated completion date is slated for January 2026.
Project to Funnel Thru-Traffic Away from Downtown McDonough
The McDonough Parkway Extension will be a new road surface approximately 1 mi. in length. The project begins at the current eastern point of McDonough Parkway near Walnut Creek Elementary School and will include building a new two-lane road from there to the east, where it is designed to intersect with Ga. 155 at Turner Church Road.
A signature aspect of the project will be a new bridge carrying McDonough Parkway over Ga. 155 to accommodate the change in elevation between the two roadways. The structure will carry traffic over both Ga. 155 and Dogwood Lane while a connector road will be available for motorists to access McDonough Parkway and Turner Church Road from Ga. 155, and vice versa.
Once the entire project is finished, drivers will be able to travel between Ga. 42 and Ga. 155 with ease, according to Henry County planners, and connect with other sections of McDonough Parkway to create a larger bypass around the town square.
Currently, the McDonough Parkway conjoins Ga. 20/81, Jonesboro Road and Ga. 42.
Finally, on the other end of town, a second upcoming segment of the bypass will open between Ga. 20 and the Henry Parkway Connector southwest of McDonough. This road is planned to open next summer during the ongoing construction to widen Ga. 20.
As part of this effort, GDOT also is building a new roundabout at Ga. 20 and the McDonough Parkway to complete the connection between Georgia 20 and Henry Parkway Connector.
Altogether, the McDonough Parkway will provide a half-circle bypass around the northwest side of McDonough.
The idea to build a bypass around McDonough dates as far back as the 1980s, noted Moving Henry Forward, (MHF), a community news source.
After decades of projects being built one segment at a time when funding became available, local motorists can now see a finish line in sight.
In 2026, they will be able to access the parkway and bypass from Ga. 20 or Ga. 155 near Interstate 75 to better reach Decatur to the north, or Conyers, to the northeast.
Henry County Using T-SPLOST to Pay for Several Projects
Henry County voters approved its T-SPLOST funding program in November 2021.
The county recently provided the following updates on the other six projects — the first five of which are in the right-of-way acquisition stage. Each one is a widening project, and some are due to get under way in 2025:
- The first phase of a widening effort on Ga. 81, between Postmaster Drive and Bethany Road, has a tentative construction bid date set for May 2025.
- A project to expand the Bill Gardner Parkway, between I-75 and Ga. 155, is in its pre-construction phase.
- The same holds true for a widening of Jonesboro Road, between Mill Road and North Mt. Carmel Road.
- Crews will begin work on Mill Road, between Jonesboro Road and Peachtree Peddler's Flea Market, at some point next year.
- A construction bid date is planned for January for an expansion of Rock Quarry Road between Ga. 138 and Eagles Landing Parkway.
- Pre-construction efforts are currently ongoing at Fairview Road, between Hearn Road and Ga. 155.
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