Open house on I-75 link set for tonight
GDOT will answer questions and accept comments about two potential routes for the Rome-Cartersville Development Corridor.
A public open house is scheduled for tonight on the Rome-Cartersville Development Corridor — the long-planned link to Interstate 75 aimed at alleviating congestion through Bartow County.
Georgia Department of Transportation staffers and consultants will have displays set up at Faith United Methodist Church, 501 Grassdale Road, in Cartersville for the informal questionand-answer session.
“You can come any time between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.,” GDOT spokesman Mohamed Arafa said. “They’ll also be taking public comments on the two routes they’re studying.”
Both alignments would hit I-75 near the Anheuser Busch plant north of Cartersville. One plan puts the ramp close to Cass-White Road and the other sets it near Tellus Science Museum, a little farther south. Instead of the highspeed 411 Connector originally envisioned, they both include other access points at intersections along the way. Arafa said that helps serve the dual purpose of connecting to the interstate and opening up other areas for development.
The road was stalled until this year, when local leaders in Floyd and Bartow counties committed to working together on a plan that would benefit both. A citizens advisory committee — made up of property owners, business people, local officials and other stakeholders — has met with project engineers several times to offer input.
GDOT provided the 33-member committee list following a request under the Georgia Open Records Act.
Representing Floyd County are County Manager Jamie McCord, state Rep. Katie Dempsey, Al Hodge and Ken Wright of the Rome Floyd Chamber,
Bryan Shealy of River City Bank and business owners Thom Holt and Janet Byington.
The road will be entirely in Bartow County, which is represented on the committee by Sole Commissioner Steve Taylor, County Manager Peter Olson, Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini, state Rep. Paul Battles, Stephanie Stapleton and Nancy Haight of the Cartersville-Bartow
Chamber, county schools Superintendent John Harper, economic development officials Melinda Lemon and Tommy Strickland, Joanne Smith of the Etowah Valley Historical Society, Molly Bearden of Bartow County Homebuilders, Rollins Farms property manager Thorne Winter and business owners Linda Kellogg, Dean Bagwell, William Neel, Jr., Victor
Morgan, Hank Rhodes and Anita Ponder.
There also are seats for Anheuser Busch, Shaw Industries and the directors of the New Frontier Club for sportsmen, Georgia Conservancy and Georgia Sierra Club.
Jennifer Giersch of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Patrick Vickers of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and Julianne
Meadows of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission also are listed members of the committee.
Written statements on the project will be accepted through Sept. 8. The mailing address is Mr. Eric Duff; GDOT Office of Environmental Services; 16th Floor, One Georgia Center; 600 W. Peachtree St. NW; Atlanta, Ga. 30308.