A project to widen Georgia Highway 151 in front of Catoosa County's industrial park missed out on federal stimulus money this week because it wasn't "shovel-ready," state Sen. Jeff Mullis said Tuesday.
Gov. Sonny Perdue on Monday announced $66 million in road projects paid for with federal stimulus dollars, including $1.1 million headed for Chattooga and Gordon counties.
Federal funds will go to resurface part of Gore-Subligna Road and for "pavement rehab" on Narrows Road in Chattooga County. Craigtown Road and Newton Church Road in Gordon County will be resurfaced.
Projects in other Northwest Georgia counties will have to wait, including the Highway 151 widening, which local officials say is key to luring an industrial tenant for the county's industrial park.
County Manager Mike Helton could not be reached Tuesday for comment.
Aside from September, when Catoosa and Walker received $1.9 million in stimulus money, Walker, Whitfield, Murray, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Gordon counties missed out when the governor doled out nearly $1 billion in federal funds.
The seven counties received $548,000 from a $39 million bundle of projects in June, but were left out when bundles of $84 million in October, $50 million in July, $145 million in June, $187 million in May and $207 million in April were announced.
The governor certifies projects for funding based on a number of criteria,including safety concerns, congestion and economic development benefits, officials said.
Bert Brantley, a spokesman for Gov. Perdue, said the state was under a lot of pressure to distribute the money fairly. Some lawmakers have suggested putting large amounts into big projects while others have pushed for breaking the sum up on scores of small projects.
"There's a lot of different ideas," Mr. Brantley said.
Sen. Mullis, R-Chickamauga, who is chairman of the Senate's transportation committee, said there is a stimulus-funded project in the works in Rossville. He vowed to keep working for more transportation dollars in the region.
Andy began working at the Times Free Press in July 2008 as a general assignment reporter before focusing on Northwest Georgia and Georgia politics in May of 2009. Before coming to the Times Free Press, Andy worked for the Anniston Star, the Rome News Tribune and the Campus Carrier at Berry College, where he graduated with a communications degree in 2006. He is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Tennessee ...
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