With another major road construction project set to begin on Taylor’s Ridge, it’s a reminder that keeping roads open and passable across the mountain has been a challenge for generations. In fact, long before the Georgia Department of Transportation existed, Chattooga County residents were required to help maintain the roads themselves. Today, the Georgia Department of Transportation is preparing for another round of repairs to U.S. Highway 27 over Taylor’s Ridge. The approximately $7.4 million project will include construction of an anchored retaining wall designed to stabilize a section of the mountainside where the highway has experienced shifting and settling for decades. But the problems associated with crossing Taylor’s Ridge are hardly new. Historical accounts indicate that the road between Summerville and Rome was notoriously difficult to maintain throughout the 1800s and into the early 1900s. Before the road was paved, heavy rains frequently washed away gravel and chert, leaving deep ruts that could trap wagons and break wheels and axles. Local historian Robert Baker documented how travelers sometimes encountered ruts so deep that the animals pulling their wagons could not free them. Even after automobiles became common, residents of Gore, Dirttown and Subligna complained about road conditions that sometimes prevented mail delivery and made travel to Summerville difficult. The problems were serious enough that road maintenance was an obligation placed directly on…
*This content (including text, artwork, graphics, photography, and video) was provided by the third party(ies) as referenced above. Any rights or other content questions or inquiries should be directed to such third-party provider(s).
