Finding the 'Boro just got easier!

Tourists, visitors and business travelers have in the past complained about the difficulty of locating Swainsboro from the new Bypass. This should soon change with the construction of three new permanent gateway signs.

The joint project is made possible through a $90,360 Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant and use of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) dollars approved by the local voters in 2005. The Swainsboro- Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce sought the grant while City of Swainsboro and Emanuel County are sponsoring agents of the project. The cost of the project is listed as $112,950. The new 20-foot signs will be constructed near the intersections of U.S. l North/U.S. 1 Business North, U.S. 1 South of U.S. l Business South, and at the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 80 on the bypass.

The gateway signs will be constructed of concrete, steel and masonry brick with a synthetic stucco used to accent the overall appearance. The signage will be lighted and landscaped for maximum appeal. The signs will be directional in nature and will include a pine cone and pine bough, denoting Emanuel's pine tree industry.

The announcement of the grant award was made by State Transportation Board member Raybon Anderson of Statesboro. Anderson said he was "delighted" to announce the grant, noting that the Georgia Department of Transportation received "many excellent applications from communities and organizations" in the 12th District.

This year the Georgia DOT received a total of 285 eligible applications representing combined requests for more than $176 million in federal funds from all 13 congressional districts. In the selection round, $54 million in federal funds were available for Fiscal year 2008 and 2009 for distribution statewide.

"This is great news for us," said Bill Rogers Jr., president of the Chamber. "We have sought funds for this project for over a year. The construction of quality signage that is aesthetically pleasing should help travelers find us more easily, should aid our tourism efforts, and hopefully, our local businesses will benefit from increased traffic.

"We'd like to thank Mr. Anderson, Rep. Butch Parrish and Senator Jack Hill for their help with this project. This signage is badly needed," added Keith Thompson, chairman of the Emanuel County Commission. "Anytime we can entice travelers to stop and visit Swainsboro and Emanuel County, we will all benefit. This new signage should be a real plus for our community," added Swainsboro Mayor Charles Schwabe.

The Transportation Enhancement program's goal is to enrich the transportation experience of Georgians through specific types of enhancement projects.

The kinds of projects funded by the TE program include multi-use facilities such as walking and biking trails and paths: streetscaping and landscaping projects in cities and towns; historic preservation of transportationrelated facilities like railroad depots; and scenic preservation of views and scenic byways.

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