Gwinnett approves $2M contract to reconfigure courthouse entrance

The Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center. FILE PHOTO

The Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center. FILE PHOTO

The front entrance to the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center is about to get a little more aesthetically pleasing — and user-friendly.

Gwinnett’s Board of Commissioners approved Tuesday afternoon a $1.93 million contract to reconfigure the entryway to the county’s main courthouse and administrative building. That will include re-opening Langley Drive in front of the building, which will allow for a pedestrian drop-off area.

The road directly in front of the building has been closed off to vehicles since October 31, 2005, several months after a shooting at the Fulton County courthouse.

The project will also include a new handicapped parking area closer to the entrance, “improved entrances to the parking lot” and a “new plaza in front of the building,” officials said in a news release.

Construction will be completed by Multiplex LLC and is expected to take about six months.

A site plan for the reconfigured front entrance to the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center.

icon to expand image

The building is simultaneously undergoing a larger $74.6 million face lift, which will add more than 180,000 square feet of new space and a 1,500-space parking garage to its rear. As many as 10 new courtrooms would be included.

The project, which was approved by voters years ago but stalled by the Great Recession, is being paid for by sales tax dollars collected in 2008.

The Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center opened in 1988.

In other Gwinnett news: