Who cares? It's all tax money stolen from me and you.
Drivers will now have to find out on their own whether new road construction is being funded by federal stimulus dollars.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is no longer requiring contractors to place signs proclaiming a project is funded by federal stimulus dollars, according to Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the DOT. The change comes after the DOT received a flurry of comments from Georgians complaining that the money spent on the signs could be put to better use.
"Many Georgians have commented that this money would be applied to more pressing needs," Ms. Paulk-Buchanan said. "They are correct. The department will use the savings to create and save more jobs through the stimulus projects."
The orange and green signs cost about $1,500 each and $100 for installation. They can still be seen on Deans Bridge Road between Tobacco Road and Sandy Run Creek, where a $4 million road maintenance project -- the area's first stimulus funded road project -- began in August. Originally, the DOT required two signs at every project funded by the stimulus project. Georgia joins states such as Virginia and Florida in dropping the sign requirement.
The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed by Congress in February to help the nation out of the worst economic recession since the 1930s. So far, more than $339 million in federal stimulus money has been spent in Georgia.
Three more local projects, at a cost of about $11.7 million, were announced by Gov. Sonny Perdue in September. These include widening Alexander Drive, repaving a portion of River Watch Parkway and Reynolds Street and repaving Doug Barnard Parkway from Tobacco Road to Gordon Highway. The projects will be up for bid this month.
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
See where the federal stimulus funds are being spent in Georgia by going to http://www.dot.state.ga.us/informationcenter/gastimulus/Pages/default.aspx.
Comments
Who cares? It's all tax money stolen from me and you.
This is as much of a joke as the porkulous deal.....the signs are not being put up because the money is being diverted and spent elsewhere...duh!
But if the signs aren't there how will the dumb masses know that the money came from His Majesty, Master of All, Leader of the Known Universe, King of All That is Kingable, Obama? All Hail the Great Obama!
An "Obama's Stolen Stash paid for this!" sticker on a construction sign would have accomplished the same thing for only $2.00 max.
SRS has posted signs as well. I'm not talking about the signs that are stuck in the dirt. These are huge structures with concrete piers and steel columns 20' high or more. I know of 2 that are up but possibly more. I wonder how much those cost. I'm thinking $30,000 or more for each sign knowing how much it cost to get things done out there. INSANE and IRRESPONSIBLE!
i want to know what company raked in the profits making those signs... 1,000 a pop. I'm in the wrong line of business.
Finally an agency that uses a little common sense.
Note: It took comments from the public before the DOT stopped requiring the signs.
What about the orange barrels? There must be at least 4000 or more on the Deans Bridge Road Project. The only thing they have done so far as I can see is to scrape away about 0ne foot of dirt on the inside and outside North and South Bound Lanes. 95% of the people I see working on State and Federal Highways Are Hispanic, So How is this putting America back to Work as the Sign States. Those Barrels must have cost at least $100 Each. 4000x$100.= $400000 10% of the Project cost Where will the other 90% be spent? Taxpayer
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