VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Valdosta business owners said business is booming once again now that Gornto Road is back open after historic flooding.

“You hear that, that traffic just constant. All morning I’ve been listening to that, it’s music to my ears,” Katie Watson, owner of Chez What, said.

Watson was one of the business owners impacted by Gornto Road being closed at the bridge right before the Christmas holidays. She said in just one day of the road opening she’s seen more traffic in her store.

“I knew they were close but when I pulled into work yesterday and saw the signs were gone I thought about doing a cartwheel,” Watson said.

Ben O’Dowd, City of Valdosta engineer, said thanks to Southern Concrete workers finished the project in under three weeks relieving some traffic impacts.

“Transportation has been pretty severely impacted by the rain event back in November and this is a big win for the department. We are thankful for the staff support, as well as the support very quickly from the contractor selected,” he said.

Historic flooding in November led to major closures and delays on Gornto Road, Country Club Road, River Street, and Cypress Street.

As far as the other road closures the city says construction has been scheduled.

“We understand that it’s an impact and we are doing everything we can to get it done as soon as possible,” O’Dowd said.

The city said construction will begin soon on River Street and will be complete in about 45 days. Construction has begun on Country Club Road and will be complete in about 150 days.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.