Work on re-paving Bunyan Kessler Road is expected to start soon, according to Effingham County officials.

The road will be closed to all non-essential traffic beginning June 23 and could be closed until July 23 as contractor R.B. Baker begins work on resurfacing the connector between Fort Howard Road and Rincon-Stillwell Road.

R.B. Baker won the project with a bid of $264,910.

Interim county administrator Toss Allen said because of the issues with the road’s super elevation, the contractor will have to shut down the entire length of road, about nine-tenths of a mile.

“We will notify each individual homeowner well in advance of them closing the road,” he said. “The people who live there we will directly notify.”

R.B. Baker also was awarded a bid for repairs to Zittrouer Road, another ash road that is need of repair. Work on Zittrouer is expected to commence as soon as R.B. Baker is finished with Bunyan Kessler.

Allen said the repairs planned for Zittrouer Road are the same as those that will take place on Bunyan Kessler Road. The ash will be reclaimed, stone will be added and then asphalt will be placed on top for the .91-mile stretch.

The county has ample of right-of-way, so there are proper ditches and lane widths along the road, Allen said. The road handles a significant volume of traffic, according to the county.

The bid was for $754,744.78, and funding for Zittrouer Road repairs is included in a revised short-term work program.

Zittrouer Road will remain open during repairs but county officials advise motorists should be aware of delays and they should avoid the road during construction as much as possible.

Commissioners have been attempting to find what works on the ash roads that need resurfacing and repairing in order to provide a comfortable driving surface on the ash base for several years.

Courthouse Road Extension also is scheduled for improvements. The work will include right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation and realignment. The county will hold an open house June 26 at 6 p.m. to discuss the Courthouse Road Extension improvements.

The road reclamation process calls for graded aggregate base material to the road base. New dirt will be mixed in with the reclaimed ash for a new base, and an asphalt surface treatment will be applied. The method is being used on high-volume ash roads.

“I hope this becomes the solution,” Commissioner Steve Mason said.

Ash roads with less traffic will get the ash base remilled and a double surface layer. Work is ongoing on the following roads: Cherokee Drive, Green Morgan School Road, Herbert Kessler Road, Hiawassee Avenue, Indigo Road, Ingram Road, Laurel Tree Road, Log Landing Drive, Needlepoint Drive, Midland Pines Road, Ogeechee River Drive, Patterson Drive, Taylor Chapel Road, Union Springs Road, Benjamin Gnann Road, Palmetto, Squirrel Run, Log Landing Circle and Courthouse Road Extension.

County officials anticipate putting another round of roads to be re-milled and receive double surface treatment out to bid later this year.

Littlefield Construction currently is working on 16 miles of ash road.