Planning continues for the East Hiram Parkway, which is expected to carry traffic away from Paulding’s busiest intersection within three years.

The Board of Commissioners funded additional preliminary engineering work June 23, designating $339,274 in special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) money. Jacobs Engineering Group will complete the following work:

• preparing and implementing a value engineering study now required by the state;

• updating the survey for parcel and topography changes now that the project will extend north of U.S. 278;

• environmental re-evaluation required by the state Department of Transportation;

• hydrology studies for Lick Log Creek and Mill Creek Tributary;

• and design for a Silver Comet Trail pedestrian tunnel.

“Conditions have changed,” Paulding DOT Director Scott Greene told commissioners. “We’re six years into the largest transportation project” in county history. “It’s been a long project and we’re ready to get started.”

Greene said $1.9 million in project savings have been identified, saving county SPLOST money because the state and federal contributions are fixed.

The parkway will tie into Poplar Springs Road at U.S. 278 and will relieve the intersections of U.S. 278 at Ga. 92 and U.S. 278 at Bill Carruth Parkway, formerly known as the West Hiram Parkway.

“Back roads are being used quite a bit because of the lack of widening of state routes,” said Greene. He added that it might be faster to take the entire parkway loop at times rather than travel through the county’s most congested commercial area.

“The completion date has not been set” but “will probably be 30 months or less,” Greene told commissioners. He estimated the project will take “about three years to completion from now. We’re about one-third of the way in making offers on property involved.”

East Hiram Parkway will be about 2.7 miles long with very few median breaks, he said.

Commission Chairman David Austin noted that the East Hiram Parkway will be “within three miles of the intermodal yard at Austell.