The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved a design services contract Tuesday for pavement management and distress evaluation on Towne Lake Parkway.

Resurfacing and pavement rehabilitation for Towne Lake Parkway are scheduled for June and July, according to Geoff Morton, the county’s public works director.

“We expect lane closures during the construction next summer,” Morton said, noting that the repairs have been scheduled for a time when school is out of session.

Commissioners approved a $29,282 contract with The Barnhart Group, a Kennesaw-based company, for evaluation of the pavement. Another company, NOVA Engineering and Environmental, submitted a bid of $14,950 for the project.

County Manager Jerry Cooper cited the scope of work included in Barnhart’s proposal and the firm’s level of expertise as reasons to recommend Barnhart for the project.

Barnhart will perform a detailed pavement evaluation and recommend an appropriate rehabilitation method, including providing bid specifications for the rehabilitation of Towne Lake Parkway.

The resurfacing will cover 2.75 miles of Towne Lake Parkway between Eagle Drive and Bells Ferry Road. The work will also include pavement rehabilitation to “create a proper pavement base,” Morton said.

The road was last resurfaced in 2001. Additional patching and paving were completed in 2007 and 2008.

Tests will be performed on the road in December and January. Bids for the construction work will be put out in the spring.

The total budget for the resurfacing is $2.5 million.