The Floyd County Commission deferred a vote approving the Armuchee Connector route Tuesday, but members indicated they expected to move forward at their Nov. 27 meeting.
“I don’t think we can debate the validity of the project,” said Commissioner Garry Fricks, who successfully argued for more time to digest comments from an Oct. 24 town hall meeting.
Click here for a look at the proposed Armuchee Connector map.
Board members received a memo from County Manager Kevin Poe this week detailing the comments, including the top two concerns: a starting-point in front of State Mutual Stadium and a route that runs to Old Summerville Road instead of between U.S. 27 and Ga. 53 in Shannon.
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Residents Howard Lowden and Nancy Griffin voiced similar complaints at the board’s Tuesday meeting.
“I just don’t think the current route is the best solution,” Lowden said.
Griffin suggested redirecting the $12 million from the 2006 special purpose, local option sales tax package toward a more northern route.
But Poe noted that the longer link — viewed as Phase II of the project — could take 20 years to build and require federal and state funding to help with a cost as high as $200 million.
Commission Chairman Jerry Jennings said an alternate road is needed now to divert traffic from the congested intersection of Martha Berry and Veterans Memorial highways.
Jennings noted several other points in favor of continuing with the project as proposed:
The SPLOST proposal calls for construction of a link from Armuchee to Veterans Memorial Highway and only engineering for the Phase II link to Ga. 53.
Environmental and archaeological studies, required for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit to traverse the Oostanaula River and nearby wetlands, are nearly complete.
Public comments were widely sought during the SPLOST Citizens Advisory Committee deliberations last year.
Poe also answered two other questions:
The Georgia Department of Transportation would allow median cuts on Veterans Memorial Highway only at Braves Boulevard across from Riverside Parkway or at Rome High School. Both the SPLOST Committee and Transportation Policy Committee opposed funneling more traffic to the high school entrance.
Shifting the connector north of Old Summerville Road would displace significantly more residences and businesses.
“This was the most economically feasible route,” Poe said.
Of the 140 people drawn to the town hall meeting, 32 made statements to the court reporter. Poe’s memo listed a range of opinions, including numerous engineering suggestions and at least seven positive comments.
Also Tuesday, the board approved amended contracts with two SPLOST project architects.
Charles Gauthreax will redesign a work release center for nonviolent inmates to fit within a $1.75 million budget. Pope/Partners Architects will add 10 tennis courts to a master plan for North Floyd Park, although there is no immediate funding source for the court construction.
Board members also decided to await a report from Jennings on a Dec. 13 meeting before deciding if they will join a 15-county regional water authority that could work with the state on reservoir funding.
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