Holiday Wishes To You

Dear Fellow Road Enthusiasts,

Whichever holiday you choose to celebrate and observe, I wish you...

- A Merry Christmas
- A Happy Hannukah
- A Happy Kwanzaa

If I have forgotten a holiday that you choose to celebrate and observe during this time of the year, then I hope that it is a happy one for you.

Thank you for reading and supporting "The Georgia Road Geek" and may you have a safe and Happy New Year!!!

Rediscovering Roadgeeking

Dear Fellow Road Enthusiasts,

When I decided to start a "roadgeek blog" of my own, I never imagined that it would be such a hit.

For the last 3 years, I was heavily involved in my other great love, Toastmasters. During this time, I was the Georgia Toastmasters District's Lt. Governor and finally District Governor.

On July 1, 2005, I officially became a "has been" and that freed me up to take up other hobbies that I enjoy... especially "roadgeeking". I am still active in my local Toastmasters chapter in the Atlanta area, but I'm just a member now. Oh, what a feeling!!! :)

My love of "roadgeeking" was rekindled in late August, when my wife Mary and I were in Toronto for the Toastmasters International convention. During our trip there, I decided to put our new digital camera to work by taking some road sign photos. Since that was the first time we ever went to Canada, I figured that I'd be cheating myself if I didn't "roadgeek" some.

Not long after coming back to Atlanta, I decided to do something different in terms of my "roadgeeking". That's when I decided to do a "blogsite" (with some inspiration from my brother-in-law, who had been blogging for a while himself).

First, I went to Blogger and set up this blogsite. Second, I went to Yahoo! Small Business and purchased the domain name georgiaroadgeek.com. Finally, I started blogging, and (pardon the cliche) the rest is history. :)

Now, here are some acknowledgements..

First, I want to thank my brother-in-law Lib for inspiring me to blog in the first place. Incidentally, he and my sister Laura had taken the world's only known "roadgeek" pictures from Kazakhstan while they were there to adopt their lovely daughter (my niece) Stella.

"CTON" is Russian for "STOP".

Second, I want to thank fellow road enthusiasts Geoff Hatchard, Pete Jenior, Adam Prince, J.T. Legg, Marc Fannin, "Froggie", Andy Field, Alex "Roaddog" Nitzman, and the rest of the road enthusiast community worldwide for supporting "The Georgia Road Geek".

Finally, I want to thank the love of my life and my best friend in the whole wide world... my lovely wife Mary. No matter what, she is always there to give me love, support, and encouragement. Honey, I love you more than anything else in the world! :)

That's all for today. Thanks always for visiting "The Georgia Road Geek" and please do so often.

"Georgia Road Geek" News - 12/16/2005

"411 Connector" Update

According to a Rome, GA, radio station website I came across yesterday while "Googling" for "411 connector" (I forgot the actual station name.), here is the latest news I have:

If all goes according to Georgia DOT's schedule, the land acquistion for the "411 Connector" in Bartow County will begin in 2006.

Actual construction may not begin until 2007 and completion may not be until 2010 at the earliest.

Georgia's First PPI Approved By DOT

Yesterday, the Georgia DOT's State Transportation Board unanimously approved the Public-Private Initiative (PPI) proposal from a consortium called Georgia Transportation Partners to add toll lanes along the Northwest Corridor (I-75/I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee Counties).

This will be Georgia's very first PPI. To learn more, please click here for the GDOT's official press release.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please do so often.

Aerial Road Shot of the Week - US 41/411 Interchange

For the latest installment of "The Georgia Road Geek" Aerial Road Shot of the Week, we give you the US 41/GA 3 and US 411/GA 20 interchange near Cartersville (Bartow County):

Above Photo From Terraserver-USA.

This trumpet-style interchange was built around 1960 as the easternmost portion of a 4-lane divided highway (no access control) running from Cartersville to US 27/GA 1/53 in Rome (Floyd County).

The 4-lane divided highway in the southwestern corner is US 411 South/GA 20 West, which runs westward for 20 miles (32 km) to US 27/GA 1/53 in Rome. This particular stretch of highway was originally co-signed with US 411 as GA 344 until the mid 1970's.

US 41/GA 3 is the 4-lane divided highway that runs from northwest to southeast. US 41/GA 3 and US 411/GA 20 share pavement for 3 miles (5 km), where it meets GA 61. From there, US 411 joins GA 61 northward to the Tennessee state line and GA 20 splits eastward toward Canton (Cherokee County).

Future plans for this interchange are to tie in a brand new 4-lane divided highway with limited access that will extend the US 411/GA 20 4-lane highway to I-75 at GA 20 (Exit 290). This will be known as the "411 Connector". To see the route that the Georgia DOT (GDOT) has apparently chosen as of December 1, 2005, please click here for a detailed aerial map on their website.

The purpose of the "411 Connector", which was originally conceived in 1986 and later became part of the now-defunct "Northern Arc", will be to give both Atlanta and Rome direct high-speed access.

Based on my observations of the proposed route and design, it looks like the "411 Connector" would be up to Interstate standards from the existing US 411 4-lane to I-75. In that case, perhaps GDOT could designate this short stretch as I-375 (similar to either Alabama's I-359 in Tuscaloosa or I-759 in Gadsden).

Furthermore, perhaps GDOT could consider upgrading the existing US 411 4-lane between US 41/GA 3 and US 27/GA 1/53 in Rome to a full-blown Interstate, thus giving Rome it's own Interstate highway similar to Columbus's I-185.

Unlike the proposed I-3 in eastern and northeast Georgia, this highway IMHO is truly needed for giving Rome/Floyd County much better access to Atlanta as GA 316 did with Athens/Clarke County. My only hope, though, is that the developers don't get too greedy along the US 411 corridor, but given their track record and north Georgia's overall growth, I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please do so often.

STOP I-3!!!

This afternoon, I received the above "STOP I-3" sticker from an acquaintance in Hiawassee, Georgia, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northeast Georgia near the North Carolina state line.

For those of you who may not know, there is a proposal to build an Interstate 3 (a.k.a. "The 3rd Infantry Division Highway") from Savannah, Georgia, to Knoxville, Tennessee. For more information on this proposed highway, please see AARoads Interstate Guide I-3 webpage.

Like many proposed routes, "economic development" is used as the justification, but several residents in Hiawassee, which will be in the path of I-3, are already rallying against the road due to the potential environmental damage it could bring to the Appalachian Mountains of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The Stop I-3 Coalition was formed for this purpose.

Even though I am a road enthusiast, I am not really sure that I-3 would serve any real purpose. Hiawassee is already benefitting from the increasing number of retirees that move there for the peace and quiet, thus I feel the "economic development" argument does not quite hold water.

If we have any more news on the I-3 plans, then we will share them with you.

What are your thoughts? Pro or con, please feel free to post them here at "The Georgia Road Geek" (please keep the comments polite, however).

BTW, "STOP I-3" bumper and window stickers are available through the coalition's website.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back again.

Aerial Road Shot of the Week - 12/10/2005

Dear Fellow Road Enthusiasts,

After taking some "virtual trips" on some of Georgia's highways via Terraserver-USA, plus being inspired by Michael Adams's "Highway Heaven" aerial shot features, I decided to start an "Aerial Road Shot of the Week".

These will feature various highways throughout the State of Georgia.

This week's feature is an aerial shot of the interchange between US 23/GA 365 and US 441/GA 15 in Cornelia.

Above image obtained from Terraserver USA website.

From this point northward, US 23 and US 441 share pavement until they reach Sylva, North Carolina.

US 23/441 from Cornelia to the North Carolina state line make up the northernmost portion of Georgia's US 441 Governor's Road Improvement Program (GRIP) corridor (GDOT Project EDS-441). This GRIP corridor runs southward along US 441 to the Florida state line.

To the southwest of this interchange, US 23/GA 365 takes you to Gainesville, where, at the interchange with US 129 North/GA 369 (Exit 24), it becomes I-985.

Please let us know if you enjoy this feature and feel free to make your own suggestions for our "Aerial Road Shot of the Week" by e-mailing georgiaroadgeek at bellsouth dot net. As a token of our appreciation, we'll even mail you an official "Georgia Road Geek" magnet if you give us your postal address. :)

Thanks for visiting and please do so often.

A Private Proposal For GA 400

This past week, while reading the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's (AJC) Metro section online, I came across yet another proposal for a private consortium to fix our roads and attach tolls to do so.

The Washington Group, who proposed the controversial upgrade of GA 316 from Lawrenceville to Athens as a toll expressway, now has their eyes on US 19/GA 400. Please click here for the AJC article.

Right now, the Georgia DOT is preparing to widen US 19/GA 400 from Holcomb Bridge Road (Exits 7A-B) in Roswell to McFarland Road (Exits 12A-B) in Forsyth County. Considering the bottleneck we, 400's "regulars", experience every day on 400 in that stretch of road, it's about time!!!

Under the Washington Group's plan, the existing project would be enhanced to add toll lanes all the way to GA 20 (Exit 14) in Cumming and issue drivers transponders that would track their usage and bill them accordingly.

And now, here are my thoughts...

While I am for transportation projects being completed as soon as possible, I have major problems with private companies essentially taking over public roads and charging tolls for us to drive on them.

First of all, the transponders would be giving "big brother" way too much information from the standpoint of collecting data on our driving. If the technology enables the government (or any private firm) to collect tolls, then what stops them from enhancing it to track other things? In other words, our own civil liberties could be potentially compromised with this technology. Think about it.

Second, as for toll roads in general, the government should just build them from scratch such as what was done with the section of GA 400 from I-85 to I-285. Even then, once the tolls have paid for any bond indebtedness incurred by the government, the tolls should be immediately removed. At the end of 2003, Georgia did remove the toll from the F.J. Torras Causeway that runs between Brunswick and Saint Simons Island.

Finally, the government should do something about what is causing the need to expand the roads... overdevelopment. Please click here to read my thoughts from a previous blog.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks again for visiting and please come back again.

GA DOT Plans I-16/I-75 Overhaul In Macon

As posted on the Yahoo! Group seroads by "Dino H." of Macon, GA...

After major accidents, major bottlenecks, immense and growing traffic counts for a rapidly growing area in middle Georgia, GADOT finally has come up with THEhuge idea to fix the one of the major traffic issuesof the area. Plus it solves the issue of widening onI-16 and I-75. The US 129 / Spring St, Colisium Driveand Second St interstate access and merge problemswill be solved effectively dispersing the trafficevenly on three raods from two. (MAjor reconstruction! Lots of fill needed.) HUGE NEWS!Can't wait to see the start... it may takes some timeto it is being address.

OTHER NEWS for MACON - I-75 will also be widened from Pierce to Arkwright Rd... not shown on the website. Meeting thurs at GAdot in Macon Riverside Dr. ThePierce RD current access will be removed from thesouthbound side of I-75. Rumors say there will be anew interchange a mile north... we'll see at the meeting and I'll forward the info to you. Northbound Pierce will be partially reconstructed but remain the same.

For more info, please click here for the official I-16/I-75 project website.

Having travelled this section of Georgia interstate off-an-on for years, I wholeheartedly agree that it is time for a major, major overhaul of the freeway system in Macon. IMHO, it has been extremely overdue for at least 20 years!!!

A very special "thank you" to Dino for sharing this info with the road enthusaist community and we look forward to further reports from him. :)

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please do so often.

GDOT Removes Erroneous Distance Sign

Yesterday as I was heading north on US 19/GA 400, I noticed that the Georgia DOT (GDOT) removed the erroneous "Roswell 9/Dahlonega 26" distance sign between Exits 6 (Northridge Road) and 7A (GA 140/Holcomb Bridge Road/Norcross).

I'm not sure if GDOT read the blog or otherwise someone else reported it to them, but "The Georgia Road Geek" was the first place on the Internet to bring you a report and picture of the erroneous distance sign in question. (See my blog entry "The New GA 400 Signs Are Here!!!".)

The correct sign should read "Roswell 5/Dahlonega 43" just like the old button-copy sign it replaced (picture from AARoads "Georgia Gateway").

Finally, a reminder that official "Georgia Road Geek" magnets are available. Please click here for more info.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back again.

A Very Special New Sign In Georgia

This afternoon, as I drove along I-285 and US 19/GA 400, I saw a very special new roadsign...

Sandy Springs - City Limit (replacing the old signs that said "Sandy Springs - Unincorporated").

At 12:00 AM on December 1, 2005, Georgia's newest (and seventh largest) city, Sandy Springs, will be born.

Until now, Sandy Springs has been an unincorporated area within north Fulton County. As a result of ever-growing discontent with the Fulton County Government, the residents of Sandy Springs "seceded" from Fulton County via an act of the 2005 Georgia General Assembly and a referendum where the vast majority voted in favor of cityhood.

To read more about this history-making event, please click here.

Please join me in congratulating the citizens and leaders of the brand new City of Sandy Springs, Georgia. We here at "The Georgia Road Geek" wish them all the best in this history-making endeavor.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back soon.

Get Your Official "Georgia Road Geek" Magnet

Be the first one on your block to sport an official "Georgia Road Geek" magnet (shown above) on your refrigerator, cubicle, or other place you like to stick magnets.

To order (limit one per request), please send a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to the following postal address:

The Georgia Road Geek
P.O. Box 1002
Alpharetta, GA 30009-1002

INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: Please enclose either an International Reply Coupon or US$1.00 with your self-addressed envelope to cover postage and handling costs.

All requests will be processed ASAP, but please allow 4 weeks for delivery.

Thank you in advance for your request and always your support of "The Georgia Road Geek".

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and may your travels be pleasant and safe.

Thanks for visiting and please do so often.

Interstate 14 - My Proposed Route

Last night, while visiting the Yahoo! Groups seroads discussion group, I went over to the link section and surfed the Alabama DOT (ALDOT) website.

While I was there, I noticed that ALDOT had a section regarding a proposal to extend I-85 from I-65 to I-20/59 along the US 80/AL 8 corridor.

According to the AARoads Interstate Guide website, this was supposed to be a part of a Congressionally proposed Interstate 14 corridor that would run through the "Black Belt" of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Please click here for the proposal from the official website of Georgia Congressman Charlie Norwood.

For years before this proposal was made, I had originally envisioned Interstate 14, a route that would start at I-85 in eastern Alabama near Tuskegee, parallel US 80 from there to Phenix City, and into Georgia through Columbus, Macon/Warner Robins, and ending just west of Augusta at I-20 in Columbia County. This would be my own "Fall Line Freeway".

Based on ALDOT's proposed I-85 extension, I think it would make sense to keep it as part of the proposed I-14 corridor, with I-14 using the southern Montgomery bypass freeway (AL 108)as part of its route and I-14 and I-85 sharing pavement eastward until you reach the Tuskegee area. At that point, I-14 would run along a new route (parallelling US 80/AL 8) that would tie it into the existing Phenix City/Columbus northern bypass. Please click here for an ALDOT PDF file of the proposed I-85 extension study area.

Here are images of my own I-14 Georgia route proposal as drawn on an official Georgia road map (my proposed route is in pink highlighter):

From Phenix City, AL, I-14 would use the existing US 80 Columbus/Phenix City northern bypass (known as J.R. Allen Parkway in Georgia), the northeasternmost part of the Columbus-Manchester Expressway (US 27 Alt/GA 85) into Harris County, then just south of Waverly Hall, it would proceed eastward, paralleling US 80/GA 22 all the way to I-75.

I-14 would cross I-75 just south of Hartley Bridge Road (I-75 Exit 155) in Bibb County, putting it between the downtown areas of Macon and Warner Robins.

From I-75, I-14 would proceed into Twiggs County, where it would cross I-16 and then go northeastward toward US 441 /GA 29, crossing it just south of Milledgeville and Baldwin State Forest.

Before reaching its final end at I-20 just east of US 221/GA 47 (I-20 Exit 183) in Columbia County, it would go north of the cities of Sandersville and Gibson, which are the county seats of Washington and Glascock Counties, respectively.

One advantage of having an I-14 would be to give central Alabama and central Georgia a high-speed way to get to and from Augusta and points eastward (Columbia, Florence, and Myrtle Beach, SC) without having to go through the Atlanta area, thus hopefully alleviating some of Atlanta's traffic woes. For example, to travel from Montgomery to Augusta via interstate, you would have to go I-85 to I-285 to I-20, putting you right smack-dab in a potential Atlanta gridlock situation.

Roughly, I estimate the distance of my proposed I-14 within Georgia to be 190 miles (304 km).

PLEASE NOTE: This is only the opinion of "The Georgia Road Geek" and does not represent in any way, shape, form or fashion, any official plans that the Georgia DOT may or may not have.

In the meantime, please feel free, my fellow road enthusiasts, to share your thoughts and ideas.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please do so often.

I-75/I-575 Toll Lane Project (Update)

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, yesterday (Tuesday), the Georgia DOT (GDOT) officially rolled out a new toll lane plan for the I-75 and I-575 corridors.

Please click here to read the full article.

As far as traffic congestion is concerned, GDOT has already built miles of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-20, I-75, and I-85, but they don't seem to improve our traffic here one bit, and I don't seem to see where this new public-private proposal for I-75 and I-575 will help, either.

Most recently, GDOT hardened the shoulders on US 19/GA 400 from the North Springs MARTA Transit Station (Exit 5C) in Sandy Springs to Windward Parkway (Exit 11) in Alpharetta, all for MARTA and Xpress buses to use when traffic slows below 35 MPH. While this seems great for buses, it still doesn't seem to alleviate the congestion for the rest of us. IMHO, GDOT should have looked at the concept Germany designed and implemented on some of its Autobahns, where the shoulder is used as an auxiliary lane for all traffic during periods of major congestion, and should have redesigned the shoulders accordingly. (See the National Geographic Channel's "Megastructures" episode on the Autobahn.)

The root of the entire traffic problem here in "The A-T-L" is the out-of-control development, especially on the northside (Cobb, Cherokee, North Fulton, Gwinnett, and Forsyth Counties). Developers have been allowed to run amok, all with the implicit (if not explicit) blessings of our elected officials. As a result, they've been allowed to build way too many high-density subdivisions and industrial parks on roads that were once rural (i.e. Georgia Highway 9 in North Fulton and Forsyth Counties)... and we wonder why traffic here stinks!!!

Yes, I am for much-needed infrastructure improvements (roads, sewers, etc.). However, I am more for putting serious controls on development. While the Metro Atlanta area has become a more popular place for people fromall over the country, and other parts of the world, to live and work, there will eventually come a time when our infrastructure can no longer handle it and we even may stagnate and begin to lose people and jobs.

BTW, I am beginning to see the Charlotte/Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Metro area grow just as we have down here, especially where sections of their new I-485 beltway have been opened. According to my wife's relatives in Charlotte, they are already seeing the signs of "another Atlanta" as developers are doing the same thing there. Being that our two major metro areas (Atlanta and Charlotte) are on I-85, with Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the path and growing as well, it seems that this ungodly sprawl is becoming a "bubonic plague", the victims being both the residents and the infrastructures of northern Georgia and the Carolinas. In this case, it's spread by a new breed of "rats"... greedy developers!!!

That's enough "ranting and raving" for today. Thanks for visiting and please come back again.

GA 400 - New Exit Ramp For GA 20

Hot off the digital camera, "The Georgia Road Geek" presents to you, fellow road enthusiasts, pictures of a new northbound exit ramp on US 19/GA 400 for Exit 14 (GA 20/Buford/Cumming).

Photo #1: Initial approach to the new overhead gantry that contains the new sign for Exit 14 and a new brown sign "Lake Lanier Islands - Exit 14". (NOTE: The old brown sign also referenced "Buford Dam", but the Georgia DOT decided not to do so on the new one).

Photo #2: The new Exit 14 gore sign can now be seen.

Photo #3: New overhead gantry on the ramp itself for GA 20 West (Cumming) and GA 20 East (Buford) signs.

The ramp will officially open on Tuesday, November 15th, to traffic, but for now, all GA 20 traffic will be routed under the bridge and looped over.

The next phase of the ramp construction is to complete a new GA 20 eastbound ramp. Once this is done, the loop will be for westbound GA 20 traffic only. At this time, we do not know when it will be completed, but once we find out, we'll let y'all know.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please do so again.

Veterans Day

Today, I just wanted to take some time to wish everyone a happy Veterans Day.

Regardless of your personal and political views, please take some time to reflect on how much veterans have contributed to defending our country and if you can, tell ones you know (both veterans and current military personnel) how much you appreciate their service on our behalf.

My little brother Chris, a U.S. Naval Academy alum, proudly serves us and I appreciate his doing so. I am a graduate of North Georgia College (and State University) and several alumni, staff, and even current students who are in the National Guard and reserves, are currently serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Here in Georgia, we have honored veterans with various stretches of highways, including, but not limited to, sections of various state highways being designated by the Georgia General Assembly as Blue Star Memorial Highways and naming the eastern stretch of I-20 from I-285 in DeKalb County to the South Carolina state line as the Purple Heart Highway.

Again, regardless of your personal and political views, please take some time to reflect and, if you can, personally thank a veteran and/or any current service member you may know. Freedom isn't free and thousands have sacrificed both life and limb so that we can continue to be free.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back again.

The New GA 400 Signs Are Here!!!

Fellow road enthusiasts, here is the official “Georgia Road Geek” debut of some of the brand new signage the Georgia DOT has recently placed along US 19/GA 400.

First, the new BGS gantry signs for Abernathy Road (Exits 5A-B) that replaced the old fiberglass ones:

To see what the old ones looked like, please click here for the picture from the AARoads Georgia Gateway website.

Next, here’s a brand new BGS gantry for GA 140 (Exits 7A-B):

Here's one of the new large shield sets, this one located on the northbound side just past the Mansell Road exit (Exit 8):

Finally, as promised, here’s the infamous erroneous Roswell/Dahlonega distance sign as per my prior GA 400-related blogs:



Now that I’m thinking about it, perhaps GDOT is secretly trying to metricate us here in Georgia when they put “Roswell 9”, since 9 kilometers is approximately 5 miles. :)

To see what the old Roswell/Dahlonega distance sign looked like, please click here for the picture from AARoads Georgia Gateway website.

In other “Georgia Road Geek” news, here’s a picture I took while stuck in traffic on GA 9 (pre-1981 US 19) near the intersection of McFarland Road in Forsyth County:



This is indicative of the bottleneck that always occurs on this section of GA 9 during rush hour.

Forsyth County widened McFarland Road from 2 to 4-lanes divided with a grassy median from here to its other end at McGinnis Ferry Road (the Fulton/Forsyth County line). Both GA 9 and McGinnis Ferry are 2-lane roads which were never designed to carry near as much traffic as it does now. However, the Georgia DOT just recently redesigned the US 19/GA 400 interchange with McFarland (Exits 12A-B North, Exit 12 South). As soon as I can, I’ll get McFarland Road photos for y’all to see, but if you have any to share, then please e-mail it to steve#georgiaroadgeek.com and feature them in a future blog (with due credit to the photographer, of course).

That’s all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back soon.

I-75/I-575 Toll Lane Project Proposal

According to today’s Atlanta-Journal Constitution (AJC), the Public-Private Initiative (PPI) to build special toll lanes on I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee Counties, also known as the Northwest Corridor, is moving forward.

Please click here for the article from the AJC.

On Thursday, the Georgia DOT (GDOT) will hold a meeting to sketch out the latest proposal to create these special toll lanes on I-75.

Please click here for the official GDOT news release on the Northwest Corridor.

To learn more about other Georgia DOT PPIs, please visit the GDOT PPI Website.

That’s all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back often.

A Georgian Helped Build The Interstates

Next year (2006) will be the 50th anniversary of the Eisenhower Interstate System, launched by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956.

“A Georgia native, General Lucius D. Clay of Marietta, is credited with being the principal architect of the system. In 1954 President Eisenhower appointed Clay, who had managed the Berlin Airlift and presided over the rebuilding of Germany after World War II, to chair a committee charged with mapping out a national interstate highway system. Clay's leadership brought Interstates 75, 85, and 20 through Atlanta, cementing the city's destiny as a transportation hub.” [1]

The interstates as we know them were inspired by Germany’s autobahns, originally built during Adolf Hitler’s 12-year reign over Germany.

After World War II, Eisenhower was so impressed by these autobahns, he began to think about a similar system for the U.S. When he was elected President in 1952, he was able to take his dream and work toward making it a reality with the help of General Clay.

Today, because of their visions, we have the world’s largest network of national superhighways totaling “46,726 miles as of 2003” [1] (approximately 74,762 km). Germany, the birthplace of the modern superhighway, ranks a distant second with a total of “11,712 km in 2001” [2] (approximately 7292 miles).

To learn more about Georgia’s interstates and Germany’s autobahns, please click on the hyperlinks for each of the footnotes below:

1 - John D. Toon, Georgia Institute of Technology, “The New Georgia Encyclopedia – Transportation – Interstate Highway System”, 2004.

2 – Brian K. Purcell, “The Texas Highwayman: Driving In Germany – The Autobahn”, 2002.

That’s all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back soon.

Speed, Cellphones, and GA 400

This morning, I came across a very interesting article regarding a plan to track traffic speeds andbottlenecks by "pinging" cellphones. Georgia DOT has contracted with a Marietta, Georgia, firm, AirSage, that will install special software in existing Sprint cell towers for this particular purpose.

For now, it will be done on a stretch of I-75 between the southside of I-285 near the Airport to Macon.

Please click here for the full article from the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

As for other Georgia Road Geek news, there have been some more BGS replacements on US 19/GA 400 as follows:

- All "button copy" signs have now been dismantled (except the northbound BGS for Exit 5A/Abernathy Road/Dunwoody/Sandy Springs/Next Right).

- New reflective signs have been placed from Abernathy Road (Exit 5 South/Exits 5A-B North) to I-285.

- A new overhead gantry has been placed on the northbound side between the Chattahoochee River and GA 140 (Exits 7A-B, Holcomb Bridge Road).

- New pole-mounted reflective signs on the southbound lanes for GA 140/Holcomb Bridge Road/Roswell at the 1/2-mile point and the exit itself.

- New pole-mounted reflective signs at Mansell Road (Exit 8), one northbound at the 1/2-mile point, the other southbound at the exit itself.

BTW, GDOT has yet to correct their mileage sign error, where they replaced the "Roswell 5/Dahlonega 43" sign with "Roswell 9/Dahlonega 26". I hope to get a picture of this sign soon, but if you do, then please e-mail it to me (steve#georgiaroadgeek.com). I'll post it on the blogsite and give the photographer due credit.

Lastly, here's a special "shout-out" to fellow road enthusiast Pete Jenior for his upcoming completion of a Transportation Engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Pete's got a nice website with "roadgeek meet" pages and excellent historical info on Atlanta's transportation planning throught the last 60-70 years. Please click here to see Pete's Road Site.

That's all for today. Thanks again for visiting and please do so often.

Our Savannah Trip

Last weekend, my wife Mary and I went on a weekend getaway to Savannah to check out the sites.

Our first stop was the Savannah Visitors Center, located just north of where I-16 dumps you into the downtown area (Montgomery Street).

From there, we did the Gray Line trolley tour that took us all over the historic district. We highly recommend the tour. In fact, if you can, see if you can get the guide named Gary, who is a former radio announcer and self-proclaimed "railfan".

At about noontime, we got off the trolley near "The Pirates House", an old restaurant and pirates' hangout from 1753 that has a wonderful lunch buffet.

After lunch, we walked over to the riverfront district, went into some of the shops, saw the "waving girl" statue, and just "hung out" for awhile. We also got a good shot of the Talmadge Bridge.

Our last sightseeing stop was the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, which had a nice collection of old locomotives, passenger cars, and a HO-scale railroad setup operated by the Coastal Rail Buffs model railroading club. Again, this is a "must see" IMHO.

Being "The Georgia Road Geek", I had to partake of the hobby, of course. :)

I had taken at least a half-dozen photos. We even made a couple of videos of us traveling along a portion of I-16 from Chatham Parkway to the Talmadge Bridge (US 17 North/GA 404 Spur North), and then, later in the afternoon before leaving town, we drove on the Talmadge Bridge into South Carolina. During that jaunt, Mary took the video camera (a CVS photo special) and videoed us traveling back and forth. Once we use up about 6 more minutes of video, we'll take it back to CVS to be made into a DVD.

Here's Mary's first roadgeek photo taken on US 17 just yards from the end of the bridge:

If I may say so, my lovely wife makes a fine "roadgeek" and thank goodness she supports my endeavors. :)

BTW, Mary is into scrapbooking and has promised to do a "roadgeek scrapbook" with the photos I have taken over the years. Like building a new road, it is in the "planning stage" and construction will eventually start upon completion of our wedding scrapbook. Once it gets done, I'll let y'all know.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back again.

The Northern Arc Is Back

The Northern Arc is back... well, at least a small portion of it is.

Fellow road enthusiasts, it is my pleasure to introduce to you Georgia's proposed "411 Connector".

Upon completion, it will be a 4-lane divided highway that will link I-75 directly to the interchange of US 41/GA 3 and US 411/GA 20 in Bartow County, thus providing a quicker route to Rome. Furthermore, it is being promoted as an economic development initiative for Bartow County, Floyd County (Rome), and the rest of Northwest Georgia's counties along the US 27/GA 1 GRIP corridor from Rome to Chattanooga.

In the early 1960's, the Georgia DOT (GDOT) built a 4-lane divided highway stretching from US 41/GA 3 toUS 27/GA 1 in Rome. This highway was not built to interstate standards, nor is there any proposal to upgrade it.

Initially, it was signed US 411/GA 344, but by 1978, the GA 20 designation replaced GA 344.

The original US 411, located north of the current one, was simply GA 20 until 1978, when it became GA 293.

Since 1986, there had been plans to extend this highway directly to I-75, but it was later modified to become the westernmost part of the now-defunct Northern Arc (a GRIP corridor that would have been GA 500).

There are at least six (6) different proposed routes for this extension. At least 2 of them would include a diamond interchange with US 411/GA 61 north of Cartersville, thus giving hope that at least this part will be a full-blown limited-access highway.

Currently, to travel from Atlanta to Rome, here's what you have to do:

- Take I-75 north to GA 20 West.

- Take GA 20 West to US 41/GA 3 North. (At this point, US 411 leaves GA 61 and joins the mix.)

- Proceed north on US 41/411/GA 20 until you reach the trumpet interchange that will put you on the current US 411/GA 20 4-lane road to Rome.

According to the Rome News-Tribune and the U.S. House of Representatives, this has been put on a federal "fast track" with over 20 other proposed highway projects nationwide.

For your reading and roadgeeking pleasure, here are the news articles:

- Transportation Equity Act has $21,000,000 for "411 Connector" (U.S. House of Representatives, 3/10/2005)

- Federal Bill Includes 411 Connector Funds (Rome News-Tribune, 3/11/2005).

For the proposed routes and up-to-date info, please see the GDOT "411 Connector" website.

If you have any other info regarding the "411 Connector", then please e-mail steve#georgiaroadgeek.com (NOTE: Spam filter in effect. Please change # to @ before e-mailing.)

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting, thanks in advance for your comments, and please come back soon.

Who Will Reconstruct The I-85/GA 316 Interchange?

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, today (10/21 @ 11:00:59 AM) is the day that the Georgia DOT (GDOT) will possibly pick the contractor for the $100,000,000 job to reconstruct the interchange of I-85 and GA 316.

Please click here for the full article.

The current interchange was built in the early 1960's when Gwinnett County was a rural, sparsely-populated place.

From the late 1970's onward, Gwinnett County grew, and grew, and grew. During the 1980's, it was the fastest growing county in the U.S.

During all this time of growth, the road infrastructure was woefully inadequate for the new demands put on it.

While I-85 was widened during the 1980's and HOV lanes were added in the late 1990's, its interchange at GA 316 (a.k.a. University Parkway) remained about the same as it was when both roads were originally built.

And now, a brief history of GA 316 itself...

GDOT originally planned GA 316 as an interstate-standard expressway from I-85 to Athens.

As of 1965, GA 316 extended merely 5 miles (9 km) from I-85, dead-ending at GA 120 just outside Lawrenceville. (Interestingly enough, the highway sign from I-85 had always given both Lawrenceville and Athens as control cities.)

As a child growing up in Gwinnett County, I remember the dead-end, the bridge that went over nothing, and just a patch of woods being on the other side of the bridge.

In 1981, GDOT opened an extension of GA 316 from GA 120 to US 29/GA 8 near Dacula. This stretch was 4-lanes divided, but with intersections instead of interchanges, thus not interstate-standard. For the next 12 years, it simply dead-ended at US 29/GA 8.

Finally, GDOT decided to extend GA 316 all the way to the Athens area, but again, not interstate-standard.

The first stretch of the extension opened in 1993, bringing GA 316 to GA 11 in Barrow County. At that time, US 29 was rerouted onto GA 316, GA 11, and then back to its original route just east of Winder.

The final eastern stretch of GA 316 from GA 11 to the Athens Perimeter (GA 10 Loop/GA 422) opened to traffic in 1995.

US 29 was then rerouted onto GA 316, and GA 8 was rerouted onto GA 316 at the GA 53 intersection. This section included a new diamond interchange with US 78/GA 10 in Oconee County (the first new interchange on GA 316 since the 1960's). At that point, US 78 was rerouted onto GA 316 along with US 29/GA 8.

Once you reached the Athens Perimeter at what was originally the Epps Bridge Road exit, US 29/GA 8, and US 78 were rerouted onto the outer part of the loop, taking them toward the University of Georgia.

Going forward from GA 316, it becomes what is now Epps Bridge Parkway (formerly Epps Bridge Road), a locally-maintained 4-lane divided road that funnels traffic into Downtown Athens. (Coming from Downtown Athens, you will see a sign that says "TO GA 316/Epps Bridge Pkwy/Atlanta". This is a left-hand exit from US 78 Business/GA 10 West (a.k.a. Broad Street)).

As for the "old US 29"...

The section between Dacula and Winder was simply GA 8 until GDOT decided to give it the US 29 Business designation just before 2000. Locals, however, still refer to it as "Highway 8" or "Old 29".

The "old US 29/GA 8" from GA 53 to what is now US 78 Business/GA 10 in Clarke County was given to the local governments to maintain.

As of now, there hasn't really been much talk in the news about the GDOT public/private proposal to upgrade the remainder of GA 316 to interstate standards with tollbooths.

For some more GA 316 and Athens Perimeter info and pictures, please see the GA 316 and Athens Perimeter webpages on AA Roads's Georgia Gateway.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back soon.

Has Dahlonega Moved Closer To Atlanta?!!!

At least the Georgia DOT (GDOT) seems to think so. :)

Over the past couple of weeks, GDOT has been placing several new big green signs (BGS) along US 19/GA 400 between I-85 and Haynes Bridge Road (Exit 9).

One of the new BGS has replaced the following button copy sign located northbound between Northridge Road (Exit 6) and the Chattahoochee River:

Please click here to see the old sign (from AA Roads's Georgia Gateway website).

The new BGS reads as follows: "Roswell 9, Dahlonega 26"... a really big "boo-boo" by GDOT. :)

In other BGS replacement news, here's what else has been replaced and or added so far:

- New "Next 3 Exits" BGS have been placed in the median between I-285 and Holcomb Bridge Road.

- Southbound: New mileage sign "Sandy Springs 5, Interstate-285 4" between Northridge Road and the MARTA North Springs Transit Station (Exit 5C).

- Exit 4B: New BGS acknowledging "US 19 South, Exit 4B", first time since 1981.

- Exit 5 Southbound: New BGS "Dunwoody/Sandy Springs, Exit 1/2 Mile" and "Abernathy Rd, Exit 5".

- Exit 6 Southbound: New BGS "Northridge Rd, Exit 1/2 Mile".

- Exits 7A-B Northbound: New BGS "GA 140/Roswell/Norcross, Exit 1 Mile".

- Exit 8 Northbound: New BGS "Mansell Road/Alpharetta, Exit 1/2 Mile".

- Exits 12A-B NorthBound: New BGS "McFarland Rd, Exits 1 Mile" and "McFarland Rd, Exit 1/2 Mile".

- New Exit 12B: BGS "McFarland Road West" exit sign.

Also, most of the assurance markers for US 19/GA 400 between I-285 and GA 306 (Exit 17) have been replaced with much larger ones.

More BGS replacements are being made and I'll let you know what else I find.

Here are how some of the BGS along US 19/GA 400 should read IMHO:

- Exit 7B Northbound BGS: "TO GA 92/GA 140 West/Roswell/Woodstock"

- Exit 10 Southbound BGS: "GA 120/Old Milton Pkwy/Alpharetta/Duluth"

- Exit 13 Northbound BGS: "TO GA 9/GA 141/Peachtree Pkwy/Cumming"

- Exit 13 Southbound BGS: "GA 141/Peachtree Pkwy/Norcross"

- Exit 17 Northbound BGS: "GA 306/Keith Bridge Rd/Gainesville"

- Exit 17 Southbound BGS: "GA 306/Keith Bridge Rd/Cumming"

And furthermore, at the intersection of McFarland Road and GA 9 (Atlanta Hwy), there should be "TO US 19/GA 400" trailblazer signs to assist those who may not be familiar with the area. Ditto for McFarland Road's other end at McGinnis Ferry Road.

What are your thoughts? Please feel free to share them by either posting a comment on the blogsite or e-mailing steve#georgiaroadgeek.com (NOTE: Please replace # with @ before e-mailing.).

Thanks for visiting, please tell all your friends about "The Georgia Road Geek" blogsite, and please visit again.

Georgia 400 - Then and Now

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia 400 will be widened from Holcomb Bridge Road (Exit 7 Southbound, Exits 7A-B Northbound) in Roswell to McFarland Road (Exit 12 Southbound, Exits 12A-B Northbound) in Forsyth County.

Please click here to read the article.

From the North Springs MARTA station (Exit 5C Southbound) to Windward Parkway (Exit 11), the shoulders were widened to accomodate buses, who are allowed to use them once traffic slows to 35 MPH or
less.

Currently, the Georgia DOT is in the process of replacing all the big green signs along Georgia 400.

A Brief History of Georgia 400

The first phase of Georgia 400 was opened in 1968 from I-285 into North Fulton County.

Before 1979, it had been completed as far north as Georgia 306 (then-Exit 13, now Exit 17) in Forsyth County.

Originally, there were interstate aspirations for this highway that would have gone into North Carolina, possibly making it an Atlanta-to-Asheville interstate, but by 1979, the northern plans were "watered down" and Georgia 400 was extended north not as an interstate-standard highway, but instead as a 4-lane divided highway with at-grade intersections.

In 1979, the first phase was opened from Georgia 306 to Georgia 53 in Dawson County. (NOTE: The City ofAtlanta owns a lot of land in southern Dawson County near what is now the North Georgia Premium Outlet mall. That land was for a now-defunct proposed second Atlanta airport. If the airport were to have been built, then Georgia 400 would have been an interstate-standard highway at least as far as Georgia 53.)

It's final northward leg to Georgia 60 in Lumpkin County was completed in 1981. At that same time, US 19 was rerouted onto Georgia 400 from Roswell Road. From that point northward to Dahlonega, the original US 19 route became simply known as Georgia 9.

At the northern end of Georgia 400, US 19 joins Georgia 60, then it rejoins Georgia 9 just outside ofDahlonega at the Morrison Moore Intersection near North Georgia College (my alma mater). Originally, US 19 went into the Dahlonega town square. That stretch is now Business US 19/Business Georgia 60.

In August, 1993, the controversial southward extension from I-285 to I-85 was completed as a toll expressway.

Until the mid-1990's, mile markers ran continuously from I-85 (Mile 0) to Georgia 60 (Mile 52). The Georgia DOT changed them to start and end at each county line, just like non-interstate surface highways. That is why the exit numbers remain sequential.

Speaking of mile markers, there is a "Mile 24" marker at the new Exit 12B (McFarland Road West) in Forsyth County. Just before Exit 12A (McFarland Road East), there is a "Mile 1" marker. I guess somebody didn't "get the memo" on the mile marker change. :)

Original Georgia DOT plans had the southward extension proceed further south, parallelling US 23/Georgia 42 (Moreland Avenue), cutting through what is now the Carter Center at Freedom Parkway (originally proposed as the Stone Mountain Tollway/Georgia 410 and I-485), and ending at I-75. The part of Georgia 400 from I-285 in DeKalb County to I-75 at the Clayton/Henry County line eventually became I-675, which was completed in 1988.

My Upgrade Proposal (Forsyth and Dawson Counties)

With the opening of the southern extension came a major growth spurt in Forsyth and Dawson Counties, said growth putting a major stress and strain on the infrastructures of that region... especially traffic.

Forsyth County alone has "exploded" since the 1990's, quickly transforming itself from a rural "all-white" area to a more diverse Atlanta suburb with an ever-increasing number of subdivisions and strip malls.

As of the 2000 Census, Dawson County was added to the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) due to its significant population growth... all because of Georgia 400.

The growth has not been kind to Georgia 400. In fact, the stretch north of Georgia 306 has become innundatedwith traffic lights and more and more strip malls, especially since the North Georgia Premium Outlet Mall was opened in the mid-1990s.

Given the growth and the increased traffic volume, I firmly believe that the Georgia DOT should look at upgrading Georgia 400 to interstate standards at least up to Georgia 53. To accomodate the businesses thathave since taken root, there could be a network of "frontage roads" built. Furthermore, there should be atleast 3 lanes on each side to accomodate traffic volumes. And another thing... this work should be done withno tolls such as those proposed for the Georgia 316 upgrades from Lawrenceville to Athens.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours regarding Georgia 400?

That's all for today. Thanks for visiting and please come again.

Welcome To "The Georgia Road Geek"

Welcome to the Internet's newest roadgeek blogsite, "The Georgia Road Geek".

My name is Steve Williams, a lifetime resident of the Atlanta area.

Ever since I was a child, I have been interested in roads and everything about them... the good, the bad, and the ugly. Part of my love came out of being the "navigator" for my parents when we'd go on trips. I've been hooked on roads since. :)

In late 1997, I discovered that there were many others in cyberspace who shared my interest in roads.

From 1997 through 2002, I created and supported a website called "The Unofficial Georgia Highways Webpage", one of the first such sites from Georgia. Due to other commitments over the past few years such as Toastmasters, I really haven't done anything with the site, however.

My major interest in roadgeeking is the Governor's Road Improvement Program (GRIP), a program started in the late 1980's by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to create non-interstate 4-lane corridors throughout the state and put every Georgia city within 20 miles (32 km) of a 4-lane highway, all in the name of economic development.

So far, two (2) GRIP corridors have been completed. They are as follows:

• Appalachian Developmental Highway (Georgia Highway 515), which runs from the northern end of I-575 in Pickens County to the North Carolina state line in Towns County.
• South Georgia Parkway (Georgia Highway 520), which runs from the Alabama state line in Columbus-Muscogee County to Jekyll Island.

For more GRIP information from GDOT, please click here.

For a wealth of overall information on Georgia's roads, I highly recommend you visit the Georgia Gateway page on AARoads, a site maintained by 2 of the Internet's "superstar road enthusiasts", Alex Nitzman and Andy Field.

In the future, I will be posting blogs regarding my recent observations along Georgia's highways.

You are also invited to post your own comments as well.

The next step will be adding the new domain name that I just purchased from Yahoo! Domains.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please do so often.

Testing 1-2-3

Testing 1-2-3.