Road work sparks community bonding

There is so much roadwork happening in our town. These types of projects help communities come together to improve many neighborhoods that would otherwise die down and disappear.

For example, the Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Mitigation Plan for the Interstate 16 and Interstate 75 improvement project was approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation. In the 1960s, I-75 cut Pleasant Hill in half. Peter Givens initiated the mitigation and the community followed. That is why GDOT was very receptive to ideas submitted by the people.

GDOT used the art of storytelling as a way to gather information for their project. They captured testimonies from people who lived in or were knowledgeable about Pleasant Hill’s history to produce videos. This is part of the initial work that has to be done before any concrete is broken.

Some other parts of the Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Mitigation Plan for the I-16/I-75 improvement project include building sound barrier walls, informational kiosks all throughout Pleasant Hill and Jefferson Long Park. The plan also incorporates the movement and improvement of several houses, including the childhood home of Little Richard, as well as sidewalks and streets.

What we learn in the books — plus hands-on experience like attending meetings for negotiations and planning — creates a whole new perspective. It brings civics to life. All of the governmental and utility entities work alongside GDOT to assure everything is proper for all types of procedures needed to get the road project done.

Then, there are artists, business people, residents, community activists and organizers, along with politicians, who collaborate to share what changes they would like to see. There are so many working parts that make these road projects happen.

Now, when you see road development happening, just think about all of the protocol and research that should have taken place. We have to exercise our civic responsibilities. When we, the citizens, do not know, we must get informed. Many of the people who are invited to the meetings for these road improvement projects have some type of vested interest in the community that the project will impact.

As a matter of fact, do not wait until you see it happen. Find out ahead of time by contacting your local, state and federal departments of transportation. Also, get involved with a neighborhood cause. I’m a poet and my community interests are preserving neighborhoods and sharing their history.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Road work sparks community bonding."