Miles Patrick Road condition puzzles motorists

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Thursday, August 25. 2011

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A Winder street crew’s rough patching of a 1.2-mile stretch of Miles Patrick Road has raised the ire of motorists who say the road has become a “real kidney shaker.”

City hall has received at least a dozen complaints and elected officials have fielded many more.

But a paving crew for the Georgia Department of Transportation is scheduled to wrap up its work on county roads this week and city administrator Don Toms expects Winder to be its next stop.

Toms said the problem began in July after a state transportation worker marked the areas of the road that needed repairing prior to its planned resurfacing by a state contractor.

The GDOT representative gave the city only two weeks to complete the preparations and said if they weren’t complete when the contractor arrived, the resurfacing would be delayed.

Toms said the city attempted to get a recent city contractor to do the patching, but the company couldn’t turn it around within two weeks. So the decision was made to have a city’s street crew take it on.

The city workers cut out areas totaling about a third of the roadway and then filled in the holes with asphalt. But they didn’t completely smooth out the fresh asphalt, which created the bumps.

If the GDOT paving contractor had arrived on schedule, the resurfacing of the road likely would have prevented the problem that has vexed motorists for weeks, Toms said.

However, county engineering manager Darrell Greeson said when the county had a similar situation on another road, the layer of asphalt that GDOT laid down on top of the bumps did not do the trick, and the bumps can still be felt 15 years later.

“GDOT has probably set up 125 pounds of asphalt for that (Winder) road,” Greeson said. “That’s an inch. It’s still going to be bumpy.”

If the city doesn’t mill down the bumps before the paver arrives, it might have to buy additional asphalt, he said.

“Or, they can leave it like it is and keep their fingers crossed that DOT has got enough material set up,” he said.

The GDOT paving contractor arrived in Barrow County on Monday and by the end of the week was to complete all four scheduled resurfacings of Tom Miller Road, Bill Rutledge Road, Sims Road and Giles Road.

When contacted by the newspaper this week, Rep. Terry England was sympathetic with Winder’s motorists’ plight, but offered to exert none of political prowess as chair of the House Appropriations Committee to get things moving any quicker.

“I have heard about it but haven’t had a chance to drive it yet,” he said in an e-mail. “We’ve got a pretty bad patch job in one place on Old Hog Mountain also with no plans I am aware of to pave it anytime soon.”

His free advice: “Don’t be trying to drink your coffee when you hit ours, you will be wearing it!”

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#1 Anon on 08/25/11 at 10:24 AM [Reply]

I hate driving the road to County Line every morning, but why in the world would the newspaper contact our state rep. about this issue?!? That hardly seems like something he should be dealing with personally.

#2 Anonymous on 08/25/11 at 11:41 AM [Reply]

This is ridiculous!! I bet if England had to drive Miles Patrick 2 or 3 times a day like the rest of us tax payers, he'd use his "Chair" position to get something done about the road instead of MINIMIZING it and comparing it to Hog Mtn Rd! Who will pay for the alignments on our vehicles is what I'd like to know...Welcome to Winder!!

#3 Mel on 08/25/11 at 11:48 AM [Reply]

Miles Patrick Road is HORRIBLE! It's a DANGER for motorcycle riders! Riders can NOT avoid all the obstacles that have been created by the improperly done,” patch paving." The road was in a more smooth condition before it was, "patch paved." The only obviously damaged spot before, was on the Rockwell Church Road end, between the school and church. That spot, "patch paved" three times recently, all were UNsuccessful! What is the issue? Why is this road so difficult to fix? There are children waiting on the bus on this road. Cars avoiding rough pavement could hit a child. Is it going to take someone getting injured before the road is PROPERLY repaired?

#3.1 Miles Patrick's Toothache on 08/25/11 at 12:05 PM [Reply]

Just slow down, you little whiner. And as far as motorcycles go, screw them! Anybody who rides one deserves triple the misery they cause.

#3.1.1 Mel on 08/25/11 at 01:00 PM [Reply]

You have issues!!! Only an inconsiderate JERK would make comments like that! I am a very safe driver and a first responder! This is a safety issue! People try to avoid the rough areas daily, often crossing into the other lane or onto the shoulder. Kids should not have this added danger while waiting on the bus! As for your motorcycle comment, "screw them!" You are the type of person who would probably hit one of them then say, “They were at fault and they had it coming!” That is somebody's love one on those bikes. How would you feel if it was yours?

#3.1.1.1 Miles Patrick's Toothache on 08/25/11 at 01:19 PM [Reply]

Murdercycles produce organ donors. As well they should. As far as the road goes, tough. Any idiot that "dodges" the rough spots deserves a busted axle and a warped wheel. Don't be such a crybaby wuss! Go suck a paxil. (Or a pacifier.)

#3.1.1.1.1 anon on 08/25/11 at 04:26 PM [Reply]

So then, does this also mean that "any idiot that dodges the rough spots" also deserves to kill a child?

#3.1.2 Michael Robinson on 08/26/11 at 07:34 AM [Reply]

Really? I've never met a motorcyclist who gave me half as much trouble as the ordinary car and truck driver.

Motorcyclists don't zip past on the opposing lane in a no-pass section to dip into the gap I left for the motorcycle in front of me.

I've never seen as many people with no concept of safe following distance as I have in Barrow.

#3.1.2.1 Motorist on 08/28/11 at 02:45 PM [Reply]

While waiting to make left turn into a business the other day, a motorcycle squeezed by me on the left and zipped into the business's driveway. This was not only illegal, it was extremely hazardous. A few weeks ago, on Highway 29, headed toward Dacula, there was a pack of 3 cyclists, darting like hummingbirds, navigating the roadway at 80mph. So, don't tell me how safely these Evel Knievals drive.

#3.1.2.1.1 Michael Robinson on 08/28/11 at 02:51 PM [Reply]

Anecdata is fun. All I can say is that I've never had a problem with a motorcyclist, but I don't go a day without someone riding my bumper the whole time.

#4 Terry England on 08/25/11 at 01:27 PM [Reply]

As a note to clear up this article and its saying that I offered none of my political prowess to expedite a solution. The email asked me nothing about if I would get involved nor did it ask if I had already gotten involved. I noted that I had heard about the problem. I knew that the contractor was due to do the work in a matter of day, I probably should have stated that. I foolishly didn't realize the comments would be used in the article as I thought it was simply a conversation like many I have had with the author.

Those that know me know my sense of humor and know I was not making light of the situation as it is implied in this article and my coffee comment. It was my round about way of saying for folks to be careful driving the road until the paving is completed. I am sorry if any were offended.

My comment about Old Hog Mountain Road was simply stating that there is another road in the county with a permenant patch that is also dangerous especially to those of us driving it everyday and even more so if pulling an equipment trailer.

To close, the crews will be there shortly to pave Miles Patrick Road and the roughness should go away or be greatly minimized.

#4.1 Rode Hawg on 08/25/11 at 02:00 PM [Reply]

It's a good the sorry GOP takes care of its own through gerrymandering. Otherwise, Terry's cavalier hiney would be in trouble. How naive can you be to blab to a newspaper scribbler and think it WON'T find its way into print? Finally, the story makes clear that if the evil DOT merely paves over the road with a spoonful of asphalt that the city's screw-up will, in fact, be fixed into permanency. How about looking into that little detail, Terry? I mean, if you can drag yourself away from the freebies in Atlanta.

#4.1.1 Terry England on 08/25/11 at 03:29 PM [Reply]

Dear Road Hawg,

I have emailed the author and received her response. She told me she was trying to do the story in a semi-humorous manner even though it isn't clear in the article. I admitted in my previous post that I foolishly didn't realize the coffee comment would be used. That is my bad and I have learned from it. Understand, I am not being cavalier about this and take the waste of your (and my) dollars very seriously and do not like to see them wasted.

The issue of the amount of asphalt used is being addressed with GDOT and may require the City to do further work before the final paving is done. The local assistance with road paving program requires the local gov't entity to do the prep work and repairs as part of the contract with the state. These repairs will be looked at before the paving begins by a GDOT engineer and corrections if needed will be required by GDOT. I am addressing the issue even though the article would leave you to believe otherwise.

You mention the maps and redistricting. While this is not part of the article, I will address what you have said here. The maps that we have just approved are not gerrymandered as you have said. They are drawn to comply with the Voting Right Act that prevent gerrymandering. While there are some unusual looking districts, they had to be drawn that way to keep the minority populations in districts that will allow a minority to win there, just as the VRA is meant to do. While these maps could wind up being thrown out by the Justice department, I would ask you to look at the 2001 maps to see what real gerrymandering is. Do I think the VRA has outlived its purpose and usefullness, I will keep my opinion to myself and let the court decide.

#4.1.1.1 rode hawg on 08/25/11 at 10:38 PM [Reply]

The black Atlnata Democrats would beg to differ wkth you regarding the purity of your gerrymandering intentions. Not that that matter to the majority of your tea-tard constituency in Barrow county. And that you admit that the justice department may well toss your crooked maps into the trash can shows just how subjective the interpretation of laws can be. As for the Voting Rights Act and your secret opinion, well I have no doubt that had you been a functioning suri juris member of society in the mid-sixties, you would have been a Democrat of the Dick Russell, strom Thurmond, Jimbo Eastland dixieland band.

#4.1.1.1.1 Terry England on 08/26/11 at 09:06 AM [Reply]

Hawg,

My comments relating to the Justice Department stem from the fact that the Democrat Party of Georgia and their leadership made it plain from the beginning that they would be filing suit on the maps. There were 179 out of 180 members of the House that came to visit the reapportionment office during the months of hearings and after to have input, yet the one member never showing up was the minority leader of the House, she never came. The maps were made public the Friday before session - something never before done here in Georgia. Yet the Democrat leadership didn't offer their version for consideration until the committee met to approve the maps released the week before.

So my comment about the Justice Department comes from wondering what they will do, not that I think they will reject the maps. My feelings on the VRA have nothing to do with racism and everything to do with a law that was well intentioned when originally passed in the 1960's and has now become outdated and many times now requires things to be done that seem contrary to its original intent and purpose.

Just as we in the Georgia General Assembly have done over the last 6 years and erased segregation era Jim Crowe laws from our books, there comes a time to move forward and not constantly refer to the past keeping those feelings stirred up.

As to the last comments of your post - I don't know what I would have been in the 60's. I do know this however, I would have stood on the side of one person, one vote. Our founding fathers said "all men are created equal", and that should be the basis for all we do. Our maps follow the VRA and make sure the one person, one vote ideal is covered.

#4.1.1.2 DuWayne R. Anderson on 08/26/11 at 06:35 AM [Reply]

Terry,
Can you spare a Tylenol............. :-)
DuWayne

#4.1.1.2.1 Good Ole Boy on 08/26/11 at 07:56 AM [Reply]

DOOOOOOOWAYNE, now butt kissing will still not get you anywhere. Any luck on finding a job, or still just living off family.

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