Mohamed Arafa

Staff Photo by Dan Henry Whitfield County Public Works employees Jeremy Johnson, left, and Tim Swinney, mow along New Hope Church Rd. on Thursday. The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to cut back on roadside mowing to save money.

A decision by the Georgia Department of Transportation to reduce the number of times it mows the grass and picks up litter has some local officials concerned about the image the state is projecting.

"I don't want to second-guess their decision because I'm not involved in their internal budgeting process, (but) Alabama is mowing, Tennessee is mowing, North Carolina is mowing, but Georgia is not mowing," said Benny Dunn, public works director for the city of Dalton, Ga.

"I'm a little concerned that, of all the Southeastern states surrounding us, we might be the only state not doing that and I would just like to see them revisit that thought process of mowing just once," said Mr. Dunn, a retired Georgia DOT employee.

Starting July 1, Georgia DOT will mow secondary routes like state Highway 2 in Catoosa County once a year instead of twice; the interstates will be mowed two times instead of three; and state routes will be mowed mainly based on safety, said Dr. Mohamed Arafa, Georgia DOT spokesman.

"Due to the state's current budgetary restraints and, in an effort to address the decrease in funding, Georgia DOT has had to adjust its maintenance activities to perform absolute critical functions only to maintain the integrity of the state highway system," he said.

Litter pickup will only be done occasionally, unless it represents a hazard, he said.

With limited mowing, the department will save about $10.95 million next year, Dr. Arafa said.

Cutting litter pickup is "diverting several million dollars to meet more urgent transportation needs," he said. The department currently spends $14 million a year on litter pickup, he said.

Dr. Arafa agreed that the condition and aesthetics of roads is a key component for the image of the state, "but the problem is we don't have the money for it."

"Our department will continue working to find other solutions to address keeping our roadways aesthetically pleasing to Georgians and traveling public going through our state," he added.

Whitfield County Engineer Kent Benson said that, though he understands GDOT has serious budget concerns, he is worried about safety.

"We are concerned more with sight distance for people making turns, we are also concerned with broken down vehicles, when they pull off on the shoulder, if the grass is very long, it could start a fire," he said.

Dr. Arafa said the state will ensure safety by clearing vegetation and doing safety mowing at roadside intersections and other areas, maintaining optimum sight distance whenever there is a need.

In the 31 years Mr. Dunn worked for the state transportation department, he said this is the first time they cut back so much in roadside mowing.

The Georgia DOT is encouraging local governments and civic organizations to participate in programs such as Adopt-A-Highway or Keep Georgia Beautiful to make up some of the difference.

"We do all the mowing for the two interchanges -- Walnut Avenue and Rocky Face -- and we are doing mowing on the bypass," said Mr. Dunn. "I don't foresee us doing more than what we're doing now."