James July-August 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 53
ground or up in the sky as it may be
(anyone drive the new 400 Flyover?).
Step one in this chain is the
aggregate industry. It’s digging the
rocks out of the ground that you will
eventually drive on, many of which
are dug right here in the Peach
State. “Nothing gets done without
us. And the aggregate industry
is a thriving industry in Georgia,
and we work diligently to provide
products on time and in the manner
needed for these projects,” said Jeff
Wansley, executive director of the
Georgia Construction Aggregate
Association (GCAA). “We represent
eight aggregate producers in the
state. These projects don’t come to
fruition without us. And we’re the
very beginning point of any transportation or infrastructure project.
For Wansley and GCAA, there
are two main challenges for their
industry: Ensuring quarries are open
and can expand as needed, and also
to make sure that transportation
funding is fully funded in the state. If
GCAA’s customers are not working
on projects, then they are not selling
their product.
On the other end of the chain,
or maybe comprising several links
in the chain, is Marietta-based Croy
Engineering. Croy works on a wide
range of projects, from aviation to
transit to parks or utilities. CEO Greg
Teague has a unique appreciation for
how transportation projects, and other projects that transportation makes
possible, can benefit a community.
“One of the things I like to tell our
younger engineers here is if we do
our job right, if we design these
infrastructure projects in a way
that’s focused on health, welfare, and
safety of the public, it helps these
communities from an economic development standpoint,” said Teague.
That recognition and awareness
is still somewhat new in the civil
engineering world. When Teague
started out, it was much more of a
straight line without planning for
an economic development or people component. In small towns like
much of rural Georgia, the fastest
point A to point B does not necessarily improve quality of life. We are now
in a time of revitalization of downtowns, boosting local businesses and
realizing pedestrian safety matters
for a local economy.
“We’re adding in medians, multiuse trails. We’re adding in local
lanes versus express lanes. When
this project gets built, a lot of those
big asphalt parking lots with the
older big box building at the back
are going to redevelop into maybe a
three or four story mixed-use project that’s right against the street
because the street now has those
extra wide areas for outdoor seating
for restaurants,” said Teague. “It has
trails, sidewalks and things like that.
So you’re really building this infrastructure to help set the table for
positive economic redevelopment.”
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