Proposed US 411 Connector Still Short on Environmental Analysis

For years, the Georgia Department of Transportation has told Bartow County residents the agency has “dotted every ‘I’ and crossed every ‘T'” when studying the hotly debated route for the U.S. 411 Connector. GDOT has also stated that its proposed route, Route D-VE, is probably one of the most studied pieces of land in the state.

On the surface that sounds comforting to residents, but unfortunately government agencies – including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Georgia Department of Natural Resources – are uncovering potential issues with GDOT’s environmental and historic resource studies. In recent weeks, press reports have indicated GDOT is now being required to complete studies that should have been done long before now.

For example, one of the most environmentally questionable items GDOT failed to study is the potential acidic runoff that may drain from the project into nearby streams and groundwater. Simply put, the acid drainage can wreak havoc on surrounding ecosystems and costs taxpayers’ millions of dollars to clean up.

Just ask residents in Pennsylvania, as reported by the Centre Daily Times, about the acidic drainage issues they are encountering from a five-year old road construction project. PennDOT’s road excavation for Interstate 99 exposed a significant amount of acidic rock, which led to $100 million in clean-up costs, a permanent treatment center, contaminated drinking supplies, bottled water shipments to residents, polluted streams and more. Read more about PennDOT’s $100 million mistake.

In Bartow County, Route D-VE will require a 125 foot deep, 829 foot wide gash in Dobbins Mountain, as reported in 411 Connector project documents. The excavation of the mountain will expose the potentially-acidic rock to the elements, which could harm downstream aquatic life and water quality.   GDOT has not even tested the rock at Dobbins Mountain for acid-producing potential. Other cheaper ($182 million less), environmentally-minded routes will not encounter this issue.

Media reports have also indicated that GDOT failed to study 1,000 linear feet of streams on Dobbins Mountain and along Route D-VE. The streams in question are directly adjacent to the proposed cut on Dobbins Mountain and will be directly impacted by any acidic runoff from the road at the mountain. The drainage could destroy the aquatic habitat of the threatened and federally-protected Cherokee darter, which is present in nearby waterways.

Another issue GDOT has not studied is the negative impact that Route D-VE will have on a 100-acre significant wildlife refuge on Dobbins Mountain. As proposed, the route will bisect the refuge and would adversely affect wildlife and wildlife habitats. This would virtually destroy the refuge as wildlife habitat.

Finally, it has been reported by the media that GDOT never fully studied the historical significance of Dobbins Mine (dating to 1867). As planned, the mine – which was one of the largest, most productive and oldest manganese mines in the state – would be bisected by the 411 Connector and its interchange at I-75. Interestingly, several years ago the state deemed a much smaller, nearby mine, the Guyton Ore Bank, worthy of the historical designation and associated protection. Ultimately, GDOT slightly modified Route D to avoid the mine.

Regardless of your position on the 411 Connector, several environmental and historic resource issues have not been fully studied and remain unresolved. In the end, locals are ones that will to have live with GDOT’s environmental shortcuts, not its staffers.