Saturday, September 30, 2006

New "ROADGEEK-CAM!!!" Episode

Just a quick post to let you know we've got a brand new episode of "ROADGEEK-CAM!!!".

Please click here to view it. (NOTE: DSL-or-faster speed recommended.)

Hope y'all enjoy and have a great weekend!!!

GA 141 Widening Contract Awarded

According to an article in the September 17, 2006, issue of the Forsyth County News, the Georgia DOT (GDOT) has awarded the contract to widen GA 141 from just north of the newly-created City of Johns Creek to its end at GA 9 near Cumming. Total length is 6.51 miles (10.42 km).

C.W. Matthews and APAC-Southeast were the 2 bidders for the GA 141 contract, and Matthews won with the lowest bid of $50,684,808.76. Incidentally, Matthews is the same construction company working on the I-85/GA 316 interchange reconstruction project.

Currently, the 4-lane portion of GA 141 ends just a 1/4 mile or so after you cross McGinnis Ferry Road into Forsyth County, and according to GDOT, work could begin "around the first of the year". The construction will also include a new bridge over US 19/GA 400. All the GA 141 widening should be completed by July 31, 2009.

Finally, here are some special "shout-outs" to the following folks...

Thanks to fellow ham radio operator Hutch DeLoach (who I talk to quite often during my commute home)... for his kind words on my "ROADGEEK-CAM!!!". He has a nice website featuring his own blog and his own film production company. Please click here to see it.

Kudos to Alex Nitzman, Andy Field, and all the AARoads gang for their latest site addition called "On The Road", a road enthusiast blogsite featuring blogs from Alex, Andy, Justin, and the rest of their crew. Please click here to see it.

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

Saturday, September 23, 2006

License Plate Brouhaha

Recently, the State of Georgia announced its proposed new license plate design to be rolled out next spring.

Several folks took a look at the new plates and decided that they just didn't like them, so the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) sponsored their own "design Georgia's new tag" contest.

People all over sent in their designs, the AJC readers voted, and the winning design was done by Lynda Saunders of Peachtree City. Please click here to read the article and see all the submitted designs.

Congratulations to Ms. Saunders for her winning entry.

Personally, I did not have a very strong opinion on the new license plate and would've been satisfied with the existing design. My only concern would be that special plates such as Amateur Radio, wildlife, college/university, etc., still be available to Georgians as an alternative to the standard plate.

Again, I congratulate Ms. Saunders for her winning entry and I'll just leave it at that for now.

Thanks for reading and visiting, and please come back again.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Will GA 400 Tolls Be Lifted?

According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia State Transportation Board chairman Mike Evans and board member David Doss, are calling for the tolls on GA 400 to be eliminated in 2011, when the bond debt is scheduled to be paid in full.

Please click here to read the full article.

As a frequent GA 400 traveler, I do agree that it would be in the best interest of the people to drop the toll once the road is paid for. The State of Georgia did ultimately drop the tolls on the F.J. Torras Causeway in Glynn County, the original Talmadge Memorial Bridge that was built in the 1950's, and the tolled section of US 80 east of Downtown Savannah, so why not do so with GA 400 in 2011?

That's my $0.02 for now. If you'd like to share your thoughts (pro or con) with us, then please feel free to do so.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Have I Started A New Trend?

With the recent introduction of "ROADGEEK-CAM!!!", I think I might've started a new trend here in the road enthusiast world.

Charles "Comrade Mister Yamamoto" Slater, webmaster of the "Comrade Yamamoto Experience", has jumped into the fray with his very own videos in a segment called "Dashboard Cinema". Please click here to see for yourself.

I've just finished watching at least half of the videos on his website... and boy, does he really rock out on them. :)

Kudos to Slater for sharing his work with us and giving us the opportunity to "virtually drive" New York's highways... all from the comfort of our own homes.

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

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Plates, Signs, And ROADGEEK-CAM!!!

NEW GEORGIA PLATES COMING

Yesterday, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the news broke regarding new Georgia license plates that will be released possibly next spring.

The new plates will be not be the traditional raised-letter type, but instead be a printed type with lettering that will be easier to read. (I believe Missouri currently has such a plate.)

Since 1971, Georgia's standard plates have had the county name on a sticker, but the new plates will have the county name on the small registration decal only, thus the county of registration will no longer be obvious.

For the full article about the new plates, please click here to read it.

NEW DOUGLAS COUNTY ROADSIGNS WEBSITE

On Gribble Nation, there is now a website featuring the signs of Douglas County, Georgia, based on photos and information provided from fellow Georgia road enthusiast John Krakoff of Douglasville.

Please click here to see the site.

Kudos to John for sharing the signs with us and to Adam Prince and Charles "Comrade Mister Yamamoto" Slater for the web design.

... and finally....

ROADGEEK-CAM!!! IS HERE

As promised, I have created my first episode of ROADGEEK-CAM!!!

Please click here to see the video. (NOTE: This is a 16 MB MPEG file. DSL-or-faster speed recommended.)

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

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Latest News From South Georgia

Yesterday afternoon, I came across an article in The Valdosta Daily Times about a proposal to widen the I-75 interchange with GA 122 (Exit 29) near Hahira in northern Lowndes County.

According to the article, the widening would affect several businesses and the proposed expansion to the Waters Edge subdivision. The City of Hahira reports that the affected businesses alone account for nearly 40% of their tax revenue. These businesses include a motel, a BP station, and a liquor store. For the full article from the Valdosta Daily Times, please click here.

For the past several years, the Georgia DOT has been widening I-75 from a 4-lane divided highway to a 6-or-more-lane divided highway due to the increasing traffic volumes going to and coming from Florida. Once the section between GA 133 (Exit 18 - Valdosta/Moultrie, "Billy Langdale Parkway" GRIP Corridor) in Lowndes County to GA 300 (Exit 99 - Georgia-Florida Parkway/Albany) in Crisp County has been widened, this will give I-75 travelers 3-or-more lanes each way from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the Florida Turnpike (including the now-fully widened I-475 Macon By-Pass).

For more information on the I-75 widening in South Georgia from GDOT, please click here.

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

Friday, September 08, 2006

Coming Soon... ROADGEEK-CAM!!!

Soon, "The Georgia Road Geek" will be bringing you another new feature... ROADGEEK-CAM!!!

This afternoon on GA 400 as I headed home from work, I took our "cheapie" digital camera (as opposed to the "good" Nikon one we usually use) and shot some videos of the construction and the traffic. For a preview of "Roadgeek-Cam" (DSL-or-better connection recommended), please click here.

The idea for "Roadgeek-Cam" came to me yesterday as I was talking to fellow ham operator (and part-time independent movie producer) Hutch on the Atlanta Radio Club's 146.82 MHz (-) repeater. I can't remember what prompted the conversation, but we, Nigel, and Jim all got to discussing road videos on the Internet. In any event, thanks to Hutch for the inspiration. :)

My wife needs the computer to get some stuff done for a class she'll be teaching tomorrow, so that's all for now.

Thanks for visiting and please do so often.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Happy Labor Day, Y'all!

Over the past 2 weeks, Mary and I have been on vacation, so you might say we've had a very extended Labor Day weekend. On Tuesday, it'll be time for both of us to go back to "the real world". :(

It's been a wonderful 2 weeks that included a lot of sightseeing in Washington, DC, and Virginia, spending a lot of "quality time" with each other and with my family, and of course, a whole lotta "roadgeeking" and updates to "The Georgia Road Geek".

Why do I do this "roadgeek stuff"? Simple... I love roads and I love to share my experiences and thoughts with you, the reader.

I also have to thank yet again my loving and supporting wife, Mary, for all her support of my hobby. BTW, she's the one that took the picture of "The Biggest Butt In South Carolina". :)

Thank you for reading my blogs, looking at my photos, and for all your support.

May you and yours have a happy and safe Labor Day.