Posted on Wed, Mar. 19, 2008

Forest Hill Road

Macon tries to reassert itself on roadwork

By Matt Barnwell - mbarnwell@macon.com

Macon City Council on Tuesday approved a pair of resolutions that seek to reassert the city's role in the ongoing debate about widening Forest Hill Road.

The council is asking that executive committee meetings of the Macon-Bibb County Road Improvement Program be reconvened to bring Mayor Robert Reichert and council members up to date on street improvement projects such as Forest Hill.

The executive committee, which has not met in some time, includes various senior officials from both the city and the county.

"I think the whole point from day one ... was to say we're concerned about the direction the (Forest Hill Road) project was headed in, about how it might impact other projects in the city limits," said Councilwoman Lauren Benedict, one of the sponsors of the resolution.

The idea is to bring more people to the table to affect Forest Hill Road decisions, Benedict said, and to create more formal channels to express concerns. A copy of the city resolution also will be delivered to the local state legislative delegation.

The state Department of Transportation currently has oversight of the road, with the intention of turning it over to local authorities to maintain once work is completed.

During the years, residents who live along Forest Hill Road have been rather vocal in their opposition to the expansion plan, which calls for a multi-lane road they say is too large for their neighborhood. Local and state officials have said there is not enough money to revise the design to meet residents' preferences.

"Our hope is that this can help move things toward a resolution that's beneficial to all parties," said Councilman Tom Ellington, another sponsor of Tuesday's legislation.

The roads program was created through an agreement between Bibb County Commissioners and engineering firm Moreland Altobelli Associates Inc., following a 1994 SPLOST that was approved to fund Forest Hill Road and several other transportation-related projects. It has been managed by Moreland Altobelli.

The resolution the council passed Tuesday says Macon has informally allowed the road improvement program to guide projects inside the city. Benedict says the County Commission has taken too much control of a process that the program's executive committee should be driving.

The resolution replaces a previous attempt by council members to require all road improvement projects inside Macon be approved by the city. Reichert vetoed that effort, but administration officials said he is OK with what was passed Tuesday. Council members said they spent the day working on language that was agreeable to him.

"The mayor wants to get as much information (about the project) as possible," said Andrew Blascovich, Reichert's director for external affairs.

A second resolution calls for Bibb County Commissioners to produce proof that the city previously surrendered to them control over the development of Forest Hill Road. Some county officials have argued that Macon legislated away its power over the road years ago.

Councilman Rick Hutto, who helped sponsor that second resolution, said a thorough search of city records has turned up nothing to suggest that. City officials wonder what the county might have, he said.

"I thought that if we asked them nicely ... then perhaps they would give it to us," Hutto said.

To contact writer Matt Barnwell, call 744-4251.