Newton County judges and officials will grab a hold of a shovel to break ground on the expansion of the Judicial Center at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6.

The expansion, made possible by the 2011 Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (SPLOST), will add an additional 28,000 square feet to the center.

In 2011, Newton County voters approved $7,000,000 for additional space in the Judicial Center, located at 1132 Usher Street, Covington. In October, the Newton County Board of Commissioners approved additional SPLOST revenue be used toward the project.

The Expansion will be built out by Hogan Construction Group and the design was made by architects, Lyman Davidson Dooley, Inc.