- Lowndes County including the City of Valdosta has 22 projects on the current TIA list.
- The project funding total for the drafted TIA investment list is about $466 million.
- Watch the video hear from our neighbors about where road improvement funds should be spent.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
See Gornto Road behind me? The traffic may get some relief with a planned road widening, but neighbors also want restructuring elsewhere.
"There's accidents there. I'm surprised nobody's died yet."
I'm Malia Thomas, in Valdosta. I'm hitting the pavement to ask neighbors about the upcoming TSPLOST and where they think improvements should go.
Changes are coming to our neighborhood.
It's thanks to TSPLOST or a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
Gornto Road is about to get wider.
Oak Street is about to get longer.
Daryl Dove tells me money needs to go toward what's underground too.
"I would say that the drainage system has got to be from the 20th century. To be honest, it has to be 100 years old. And it's not set up for the way things are now."
When I told him about the road improvements, he said his neighborhood was overlooked.
I'm talking about the James Road and the Jones community.
"Exit 18, that QuikTrip and James Road. When the 18 wheelers come off the interstate or on St. Augustine Road, they pull in on James Road. They take a left onto James Road; then they line up to get into the service station and then it backs up."
When I went over to James Road to look at traffic I also ran into Danny Patel, who owns a Dairy Queen just off St. Augustine.
He showed me photos and video of the area at peak times, and he told me he wishes improvement projects could be set for there as well.
"When the community give their input to their local officials or city and county managers, it just funnels into initiatives like this."
Amy Martin is director of Southern Georgia Regional Commission. She told me the board gets projects from what city and county officials hear from our neighbors who may say…
"Hey you know we have this issue over here but this road or congestion they'll share that information and then so that goes up. Then your your local elected officials and your city, county managers are aware of this."
Daryl told me he and the Jones community have spoken with officials, and they have been receptive, but changes come with numbers.
"Friday night at Valdosta football game or Lowndes football game, you have 8,000 to 10,000 people in each stadium. But for this election, 5000 people voting and over 50,000 people in the city. That's a terrible number."
If voters pass the tax, funds would begin collecting starting in 2027 and would be used to fund projects. In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, ABC27.
