Planned improvements to Reams Road have been delayed after the Board of County Commissioners approved a change order to address design challenges with the road. The initial engineering design and construction plan preparation contract was approved in 2019.

The change request for the project states:

Due to the deep muck pocket between Greenbank Boulevard and Peachtree Park Court, this change order adds funds to design a bridge, revise the traffic control plan, and a permanent sheet pile weir to control the discharge from Lake Reams.  It also includes the design of a custom gravity wall, optional piping design geotechnical services, and an updated contamination screening and evaluation report. The change order also adds 270 days to the project timeframe to complete following tasks: additional geotechnical services to complete the bridge design and custom gravity walls, bridge concept report, engineering services bridge calculations, revise the geometry of the roadway to incorporate the bridge, revise all necessary roadway plan sheets, including plan view, profile view, drainage structures, driveway profiles, bridge hydraulics report, contact all utility companies, and update the construction cost estimate.

During the consent agenda hearing, Commissioner Wilson voiced her frustration over the delay and outlined the importance of Reams Road to the area.

The change request does not impact the improvements at the Reams / Ficquette / Summerlake intersection, which is part of the Ficquette Road improvement project.

An updated timeline for Reams Road now puts design through 2025, right-of-way acquisition through Q1 of 2026, and construction beginning in mid-2026 and lasting through the middle of 2029.

The delay in Reams Road construction underscores ongoing challenges in balancing infrastructure development with the pace of growth in Horizon West. With increasing traffic and new developments emerging regularly, transportation and infrastructure needs will remain an ongoing issue for Horizon West.