$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

Project Number: RC11-000101 Project Name: Val Del Road Additional Lane Width and Turning Lanes GDOT ID:   Project Description: Val Del Road is classified as a major collector road that traverses from Cook County into Northern Lowndes County and terminates at State Route 7.  This project will widen Val Del Road  from 10.5’ lanes to 12’ travel lanes and add a two foot wide paved shoulder with ground in place rumble strips.  This project will also resurface the roadway being widened.  In some areas, drainage structures will have to be extended.  Also as a part of the project, protected left turn lanes will be added at various intersections along Val Del Road.  The proposed intersections include McMillan Road, Clyattstone Road, and North Valdosta Road.  Finally, deceleration lanes will be added at various intersections and at entrances to major subdivisions.  The proposed intersections will include the three roads listed above and the proposed major subdivisions will include River Chase Subdivision, Nelson Hills Subdivision, and Bethany Hills Subdivision.   Limited ROW will need to be acquired in areas where deceleration lanes and left turn lanes are built. Regional Commission: Southern Georgia Unconstrained List: Yes County: Lowndes County Phase Total Project Cost Total Amt Requested PE $150,000 $150,000 ROW $100,000 $100,000 CST $2,750,000 $2,750,000 Total $3,000,000 $3,000,000 Comments: Public Benefit Notes Ensuring Safety and Security This project would benefit the public by potentially reducing the incidence of crashes along this roadway segment, corridor, and/or intersection. Maximizing the value of Georgia's Assets 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. Project Location