City contractors spread sand and tar on roadways in the early morning hours after an overnight winter storm that so far had deposited seven inches of snow Jan. 10 in Johns Creek, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis)A Northwest Georgia senator has proposed legislation that would help line up contractors and city road crews to help the state dig out of its next snowstorm.
Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, and a handful of other senators wrote Resolution 31 on Monday. It calls for the state Department of Transportation to create a list of approved private contractors and to have that list on hand in case another rare ice storm hits the Peach State.
The resolution says the snow and ice earlier this month "paralyzed" the state and should be used as a "learning opportunity for preventing such gridlock in the future."
If adopted, the document would urge the department to authorize city and county crews to work on state roads when they are able and encourage it to identify contractors who are equipped to clear roads or whose machinery easily could be adapted to spread salt and scrape ice.
"The bottom line is GDOT needs help, and we must find any and all proactive solutions so Georgians do not have to deal with dangerous conditions that shut down North Georgia schools and businesses for days and days at a time," said Mullis, chairman of the Senate's Transportation Committee.
"We have multiple contractors here in Georgia ready and able to help pick up the slack and get our roads and highways back to safe traveling conditions as soon as possible."
Mullis took criticism during his campaign last year when opponents pointed out that the bulk of his re-election funds came from Atlanta transportation contractors.
In an e-mailed statement, Mullis said it doesn't make sense fiscally for the state to fill its garages with a fleet of ice-clearing vehicles "that will only be used once every 15 years."
At a City Commission meeting last week, Trenton Mayor Barton Harris criticized the way the state handled the roads during the recent icing in Dade County, which is in Mullis' district.
"It actually worked a little backward this time -- the city did great, the county did good and the state ..." Harris said, pausing and making a face while the audience laughed, "... did worst."
On Wednesday he said the new measure might improve things, but said the state probably would find only a few contractors to pitch in.
"It would help, but the problem is the availability of snow plows in North Georgia," Harris said.
In terms of city equipment, the mayor said the local crews would stay in Trenton until the city streets were clear.
"The city's first responsibility is the city, but once they're finished I'm sure the city and county trucks might be able to help the state," he said.
Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell said the resolution was a "great idea" and should help clarify things.
"Usually they don't want you to work on their roads," she said of the state. "When we clear the county roads, if the state routes are closed people still can't get where they're going."