Tag Archives: GDOT

Mayday Landing ARWT Signs 2025-02-26

Update 2025-04-01: Installed: Troupville Boat Ramp water trail signs 2025-04-01.

Thanks again to Echols County Manager Alan Levesque and Road Crew, the signs are planted for Mayday Landing on the Alapaha River.

Mayday Landing, Alapaha River, ARWT Signs Planted 2025-02-26, At-Water and Road: Thanks, Alan Levesque & Echols County Road Crew

Both the road signs and the at-water signs were paid for (80%) by a generous grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR). The signs were made by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), but the state could not plant the signs, because Howell Road is not a state or federal road. But the county could, and Echols County did.

Like the Statenville Boat Ramp signs, I delivered the Mayday signs to Echols County at a Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Update meeting the day before.

Mayday Landing is at 749 Howell Road, Stockton, GA 31649. It is on the left bank, the east side of the Alapaha River, south of Howell Road, north of the railroad bridge, in Echols County.

It is towards the middle of the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail.
https://wwals.net/maps/alapaha-water-trail/ Continue reading →

ARWT signs planted at Statenville Boat Ramp 2025-02-26

Update 2025-03-12: Mayday Landing ARWT Signs 2025-02-26.

Thanks to Echols County Manager Alan Levesque and the Echols County Road Crew for planting the Statenville Boat Ramp signs next to the ramp.

ARWT signs planted, Statenville Boat Ramp 2025-02-26, Thanks, Alan Levesque, Echols County Manager

I delivered them the previous day at an Echols County Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Update meeting. Continue reading →

Ashburn spill locations and causes in GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report 2025-02-26

Update 2025-03-07: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-03-06.

After GA-EPD forgot to list sewage spill locations or causes for several days, we can finally see where and why Ashburn had its late-January and mid-February spills into Hat Creek, which runs to the Alapaha River.

Plus an amusing update on Pinehurst, which is outside the Suwannee River Basin.

Ashburn spill locations and causes

The locations are listed as different: “Rockhouse Rd. Lift Station” for the 2025-01-31 spill and “Rockhouse Rd and Sylvia Dr.” for the 2025-02-14 spill. But from time to time GA-EPD lists the latitude and longitude of spills, and these two have the same latlong: 31.691673, -83.632582.

That’s at this manhole at the corner of Rockhouse Road and Silvia Drive: Continue reading →

Stormwater flooding on Post Pointe Circle –Jennifer Verrastro 2024-12-04

These are the slides that Debra Lorence wanted to present at the Valdosta City Council meeting, November 21, 2024.

Stormwater flooding on Post Pointe Circle @ VCC 2024-11-21, Jennifer Verrastro, Debra Lorence

You can see what she said at 32:10 in Valdosta’s own video, as one of many people who complained about flooding.
https://www.facebook.com/CityofValdosta/videos/446513611510950/

Her slides are on the WWALS website in PowerPoint and PDF.

On the left in slide 2 is a culvert under North Valdosta Road (US 41) next to their property. On the right is a much smaller pipe under their property. Continue reading →

Road Signs, Mayday Landing, Echols County, Alapaha River Water Trail 2024-10-31

For Halloween, I went to the Tifton GDOT sign shop and picked up the road signs for Mayday Landing.

Mayday Landing, Echols County, ARWT 2024-10-31, Alapaha River Water Trail, Road signs from GDOT with GA-DNR grant

Thanks to Kayla R. Hancock, Sign Supply Supervisor, GDOT Tifton (pictured on the right), for organizing this.

Alapaha River Water Trail, Mayday Landing, Echols County

This is one set. The other set is the same, except the arrow points in the other direction. Each came with a 12-foot steel post, a 48-inch foundation stub, and nuts and bolts.

Thanks to Ouicia Jolly, Recreational Trails Program Coordinator, Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR), for organizing the grant program that is reimbursing 80% of the cost of these signs and for the rack cards and the at-water signs, with 10-foot 4×4-inch posts, scews, and Quikrete.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Alapaha River Flooding 2024-10-03

Update 2024-10-04: Clean Withlacoochee River after Hurricane Helene, but much flooding and storm damage 2024-10-02.

The Alapaha River already flooded at Irwinville, Georgia and is back down. It is still in Minor Flood at Alapaha and Lakeland. If you are near the Alapaha River between US 82 and US 84, you may want to consider heading for higher ground. However, at Lakeland the river has crested and is dropping.

The river soon will be in flood at Statenville, Georgia, and Jennings, Florida. However, all of the bridges are still open.

Alapaha River Flooding, Alapaha and Lakeland 2024-10-03, Soon at Naylor and Statenville, Then Jennings

You can see all the Alapaha River gauges at a glance on the WWALS web page Alapaha River water levels. Continue reading →

Okapilco Creek Bridge closed between Pavo and Barney, GA 2023-04-07

It’s actually two bridges closed: over what GDOT calls Brice Pond Tributary Bridge and over Okapilco Creek.

There are detours shorter between Pavo and Barney than GDOT indicates.

Which is fortunate, since the closure is very long: from 7 AM April 11, 2023 to 4 PM July 31, 2024, according to GDOT 511.

Creeks and Bridges

Press Alert, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), April 7, 2023, Brooks County… Two Bridges on SR 122 Closed Beginning Next Week, Continue reading →

US 41 closed between Lake Park, GA, and Jennings, FL, near Alapahoochee River 2023-02-10

Judging by the continuing downpour, I’d guess US 41 will stay closed through today at least.

Map, US 41 Road closed, 2023-02-11

The GDOT press release is pretty vague about where the water is across the road, so there are some guesses below, after the press release.

Maybe somebody around Lake Park or Jennings can send some pictures.

GDOT Press Alert, Friday, February 10, 2023 Lowndes and Echols Counties: State Route 7 in Lakepark , GA to Jennings, FL is closed due to water over the roadway, Continue reading →

Water Trail signs planted 2021-05-21

Bobby McKenzie has been busy planting water trail signs, both road signs and at-water signs. All these signs were paid for by a grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR). There was a cash match, so if you want to help with that, you can:
https://www.gagives.org/story/Wwalswatertrailsigns

Kinard Bridge Road, Adel-Moultrie, andAntioch Road Landings, Cook County Boat Ramp, Folsom Bridge, Hagan Bridge, and Pafford’s Landings

Little River

Kinard Bridge Road Landing

We bought road signs from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). GDOT is planting road signs on state and federal highways, but WWALS has to put them on county roads, like Kinard Bridge Road. There are two sets of road signs for each location, for each direction. In this case, for Kinard Bridge Road Landig, the most upstream landing on the Little River in the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT). Continue reading →

GA 376 Alapahoochee River Bridge to be replaced 2021-05-10

There was quite a bit of advance notice that the bridge that provides the most upstream paddling access to the Alapahoochee River is being replaced, and now the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) has given public notice of a variance for a contractor to replace the bridge according to specifications by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Echols County, Georgia.

Notice, GA 136 Alapahoochee River Bridge in Lanier County News

This bridge is on the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail. Continue reading →

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.