Category Archives: T-SPLOST

$3 million T-SPLOST for sprawl on Cat Creek Road

Three million dollars buried on page 90 of the

171 page T-SPLOST Unconstrained Investment List
for the Southern Georgia Region
to funnel traffic along Cat Creek Road to Moody Air Force Base, promoting sprawl in far north Lowndes County,
in an area the Comprehensive Plan says should be for agriculture
and forestry.

In amongst the boilerplate and the red herrings (“potentially reducing
the incidence of crashes”, “mitigating congestion”) is the real purpose
of this project:



Also as a part of the project, protected left turn lanes will be added at
various intersections along Cat Creek Road. The proposed intersections
include Pine Grove Road, Radar Site Road, New Bethel Road, and Hambrick
Road.

There’s a more long-term reason, too, which is hinted at with this
further unnecessary work:

Continue reading →

$3 million T-SPLOST to widen Val Del Road

In the Lowndes County T-SPLOST boondoggle of the day,
the county wants $3 million to widen Val Del Road:
all of it that’s in the county, plus adding paved shoulders,
and at some intersections turn lanes, plus fiddling with drainage.
Nothing in the writeup about promoting new development,
although we saw in

the proposal for Old US 41 N
that that’s exactly what road widening projects are for.

Here’s what Lowndes County submitted for
T-SPLOST funding, extracted from the
171 page PDF.

Project Sheet

Continue reading →

Widening Old US 41 North: It’s Back, for $8 million T-SPLOST!

Lowndes County wants $8 million T-SPLOST to widen Old US 41 North from
North Valdosta Road to Union Road, and the map shows the entire road
to the center of Hahira as part of the plan.



Back in 2009, a local citizens group called
car41no managed to fight off widening Old US 41 North all the way
into Hahira, at least temporarily.
Well, it’s back!
This time, instead of asking for general GDOT money,
Lowndes County is asking for funds from the proposed T-SPLOST one cent sales tax.

What is in the plan for old US 41 North between Union Road and Hahira?

It is proposed to construct bike lanes and possibly sidewalks throughout
the project for the residents of this area to use.

I suspect “construct bike lanes” means paint lines on the pavement,
and note that sidewalks are just “possibly”.

So what is this plan really for?

Continue reading →

$10 million T-SPLOST to widen New Bethel Road for Lanier County sprawl?



Lowndes County wants

$10 million dollars in T-SPLOST funds to widen New Bethel Road from 2 to 5 lanes,
even though Bemiss Road (GA-125) is right next to it and also connects to GA 122.

That $10 million might save Lanier County residents about one minute
getting to Lowndes County to spend their money,
while promoting
more sprawl of developments into Lanier County.



It would cost a lot less to put a four-way stop or a light
at Walker’s Crossing where GA-122 and GA-125 meet.

The details of this $10 million boondoggle are appended below,
extracted from this 171 page PDF.

-jsq

Project Sheet

Continue reading →

“I do not know of any local elected officials that support the T-SPLOST in its’ current form.” —Tim Carroll

This comment from Tim Carroll came in Saturday on

Ashley Paulk, Corey Hull, and Norman Bennett on T-SPLOST -jsq



For whatever it is worth, I do not know of any local elected officials
that support the T-SPLOST in its’ current form. Chairman Paulk is right
on target with his comments.

Ashley Paulk, Corey Hull, and Norman Bennett on T-SPLOST



Jane Osborn pointed us at
a detailed list of T-SPLOST projects.

T-SPLOST regional executive committee chairman
Ashley Paulk


gave his opinion on T-SPLOST at a Lowndes County Democratic Party
(LCDP) meeting a few months ago:

He’s against it
because he doesn’t like

a law with a stick in it.

At the same LCDP meeting, Corey Hull of VLMPO explained T-SPLOST,
which LAKE videoed in six parts,




  1. T-SPLOST Explained


  2. T-SPLOST Business plan


  3. T-SPLOST Project Lists

  4. T-SPLOST Penalties and LMIG

  5. T-SPLOST Projects to GDOT

  6. T-SPLOST referendum in 2012

Before that, Corey Hull explained T-SPLOST to VLCIA,


and got

a very interesting question about penalties from Norman Bennett.

VLMPO held

an extended public participation period for T-SPLOST in May.
Maybe some of you who went can report back on that.

-jsq

T-SPLOST Projects for Southern Georgia Region

This came in yesterday. -jsq

From: “Jane Osborn”

Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:32:19 -0400



Have you seen these proposed projects for our region if the transportation
tax is passed? A few meetings have been held in local cities, mostly
attended by elected officials with Ashley Paulk as the chair of our
committee. Committee members are listed and projects proposed for each
county in the region are outlined in great detail.

PDF

Jane F. Osborn, MSSW

Valdosta, GA

229-630-0924 cell

Special Called Meeting 27 April 2010 —VLMPO

When VLMPO has a special called meeting,
it announces it well in advance

on its facebook page
and sends out messages to interested parties, which is how LAKE
got the appended agenda for that meeting.
Note the item “TIA Update”, where TIA is for the
Transportation Investment Act of 2010 which
implements

T-SPLOST.
There is a “Public Comment” item, as well.
-jsq




Valdosta-Lowndes MPO

Policy Committee

Special Called Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

1:30 PM

Continue reading →

Comment Period for VLMPO Participation Plan

Want to keep track of the road and bridge projects
proposed by the various cities and Lowndes County,
including

those submitted for T-SPLOST funding?
The Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)
compiles them all in one place and makes them available for public
comment and review.

-jsq

Public Notice of a Public Comment and Review Period and Public Open House



In accordance with requirements set forth in 23 CFR 450.316, 42 USC
2000d, Executive Order 12898, and Executive Order 13166, and other laws
and regulations; the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization
(VLMPO) has developed the Draft Public Participation Plan (PPP) which
includes a Limited-English Proficiency Plan and Title VI Compliance
Plan, for the Valdosta Metropolitan Planning Area which includes all of
Lowndes County and portions of Berrien and Lanier Counties.

This PPP is available for

public review and comment from April 15, 2011

Continue reading →