Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

AMERICUS — South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) will close its Americus and Crisp County Center campuses at 6 p.m. Thursday due to construction to replace a water main. Both campuses are scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3 after the long Labor Day Holiday weekend, barring any unforeseen complications,” announced SGTC President John Watford, Ed.D.

By closing the college on Thursday evening, SGTC is giving contractors four days to replace and repair the water main and water pipes that are over 70 years old or older. Students residing in on-campus housing on the Americus campus may return to campus at 6 p.m. Monday, barring any unforeseen complications and the water has been restored at the main campus.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause students and the public,” explained Watford. “We are updating and improving the traffic corridor in the center of the Americus campus. As part of this process, we are updating the college’s water system. The contractors will shut off the water main over the Labor Day weekend to install new underground water pipes and cutoffs.  Labor Day weekend seemed to be the perfect opportunity to accomplish this, while providing the least inconvenience and disruption of classes and services.  We hope the faculty, staff and students enjoy the extra time off.”

SGTC began the construction project in late July. The Americus concrete traffic corridor is over 70 years old and still had the original tie downs for airplanes when the campus was used as an Army Air Corp training base during World War II. The concrete had cracked and was beginning to be unsafe. The new plan will create three roundabouts in the center of the campus and be much more pedestrian and traffic friendly. Construction is scheduled to be completed in January 2020.

During the six-month project, the center of the campus from the front of the James S. Peters gymnasium all along the area in front of the Griffin building, the Energy and Transportation center and the Heavy Equipment Dealer’s Service Technology building will be closed to automobile and foot traffic. Students will enter and exit through the rear of the buildings. The construction zone will also block the regular parking areas for Martin Hall, the Haynes building as well as the cafeteria.

Individuals can enter the Americus campus at the Lindbergh Avenue entrance by the Pope Center, or Success Ave between the Odom Center and Hicks Hall and travel to the gymnasium. Transportation Drive is open to allow trucks to enter the commercial truck driving area and the Energy and Transportation Center but traffic in front of the maintenance building and Morgan building has been closed off. Individuals can use Opportunity Avenue to gain entrance to McLain Hall, the cafeteria, and the Heavy Equipment Dealer’s Service Technology building.

The next phase of the project will close the Success Avenue road between the James Hall and James S. Peters gymnasium parking lot. Traffic will be detoured while this area is under construction to lay underground pipes.