Now here’s a T-SPLOST project I like:
upgrading the railroad that runs
from Valdosta to Moody AFB
and on to Ray City and Nashville in Berrien County,
and Willacoochee in Atkinson County.
This proposal is to aid freight, but with this upgrade to the track,
the same track would be even more readily usable for passenger rail.
That same track was used for passenger travel up into the 1950s.
My mother used to catch the train at Barretts (just north of Moody) to go visit her relatives in Pearson (a bit east of Willacoochee).
It’s true the project sheet talks about “potential customers in the region”:
This project will provide for more efficient train operations along
the rail corridor to accommodate the increase rail traffic serving the
existing and potential customers in the region.
However, rail promotes development in existing population
centers and at stations, unlike all along automobile roadways.
This project is also another example of how
the economic area of Moody AFB includes
all of Lowndes County plus
Berrien County and beyond, so Jack Kingston’s attempt to
gerrymander just a green tongue lapping up Moody and part of
the Pine Grove precinct and the Naylor precinct but nothing else
out of Lowndes and none of Lanier or Berrien Counties
is inappropriate and counter-productive to the local economy
and communities.
Here is the entire project sheet from the
83 page Draft Constrained T-SPLOST project report for
the southern region.
Project Sheet
Project Number:
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RC11-000077
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Project Name:
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Georgia and Florida Railway (GFRR) – Valdosta to Willacoochee Rehabilitation
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GDOT ID:
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Project Description:
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The project is to upgrade mainline track consisting of the replacement and repair of rails, ties, ballast and bridge repairs within the mainline to bring property to a state of good repair. This project would provide for the rehabilitation of the track mainline to be brought up to Federal Railroad Administration Class 2 conditions.
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Regional Commission:
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Southern Georgia
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County:
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Lowndes County
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Phase |
Total Project Cost |
Total TIA Amount |
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PE |
$250,000 |
$250,000 |
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CST |
$6,000,000 |
$6,000,000 |
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Total |
$6,250,000 |
$6,250,000 |
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Comments:
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Public Benefit
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Notes
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Supporting Economic
Growth/Competitiveness
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This project could assist in having a positive impact on the economic vitality for this region, and in some cases possibly
for the entire state. Its impact could also be observed along the roadway segment, corridor, and/or intersection. Example benefits could be: improved access to jobs; improved travel times for drivers; increased lane capacity; improved efficiency and reliability for freight cargo/goods movement; providing border to border and inter-regional connectivity; and improve local connectivity to statewide transportation network.
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Maximizing the value of
Georgia’s Assets
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This project could potentially maximize the full utility of an existing
transportation facility(s). In some cases, bypasses will be necessary.
Example benefits could be: mitigating congestion (e.g. operational
improvements) and optimizing capital asset management (e.g. resurfacing,
rehabilitation). The impacts would apply to this roadway segment,
corridor, and/or intersection.
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Additional Benefits
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This project will provide for more efficient train operations along
the rail corridor to accommodate the increase rail traffic serving the
existing and potential customers in the region.
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Project Location
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