The Georgia Road Geek - Blogsite

GRG On BTR: Guest - Jason Ilyes

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 16 May 2008 21:54:14 GMT

On tonight's "GRG On BTR", fellow roadgeek Jason Ilyes of Lebanon, Tennessee, was my guest.

Here's the episode for your listening pleasure...

Here are the websites for the places and things Jason and I talked about...

Cracker Barrel... Mary and I looooove to eat here... especially when we're roadtrippin'!
Music City Star (new commuter train from Nashville to Lebanon)
SmartFix40 (I-40 reconstruction project in Downtown Knoxville)

BTW, there will be no more "GRG On BTR" episodes for the next 2 Fridays. Mary and I are going on yet another roadtrip to Florida and I'll be lettin' y'all know about it once we get back home. (Next episode will be on June 6th.)

Thanks again to Jason for being my guest, thanks to y'all for reading and listening, and please come back again.

GRG On BTR: More Roadgeek Tunes And Stuff

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:46:54 GMT

For your listening pleasure, here's my latest episode of "GRG On BTR"...

Here are the websites I referred to during the show...

Dell Conner ("Uncle Dell")
"Georgia On My Mind" - Georgia Carnival #35
My Last Blog (FreewayJim, The Blues, And News)
Georgia State Road And Tollway Authority

Thanks for visiting and listening, have a great Mother's Day weekend, and please come back again.

FreewayJim, The Blues, And News

The Georgia Road Geek — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:37:06 GMT

Thanks to my good friend and fellow Georgia roadgeek FreewayJim, I've got yet another really cool song for my "roadgeek tunes" collection... "Highway Blues" by Frank Axtell.

FreewayJim features this song in his latest video he titled "Birmingham Blues". See it and hear for yourself...

Kudos to FreewayJim for yet another wonderful video!!!

MP3's of Mr. Axtell's "Highway Blues" can be downloaded from iCompositions.

NOTE: To download tunes from iCompositions, you must setup a login (free of charge) on their site.

Please tune in tomorrow (Friday) night at 9:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time for another episode of "GRG On BTR" (topic TBA).

Finally, I have a new section of the website called "GRG In The News", containing links to the news articles featuring "The Georgia Road Geek".

That's it for now. Thanks again to FreewayJim for the song info and to you for visiting. Please tell all your friends about "The Georgia Road Geek" and come back often.

GRG On BTR: Electronic Toll Systems and Vanity License Plates

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:08:40 GMT

Wow... what a show!!!

Tonight, on "GRG On BTR", we had the subjects of electronic toll systems and vanity license plates as our main discussion topics... and a special visit from Doug Kerr of Gribble Nation. If you missed the live version, no problem. Just click on the player below to listen at your leisure.

Here are the websites that Doug and I referred to during tonight's show...

- Florida SunPass
- Georgia Cruise Card
- "GOT MILF" Plate In Washington State (The Smoking Gun)
- "HA8JWZ" Plate In Macon (WMAZ-TV)
- Hartford Roadmeet (Gribble Nation)
- Hartford Roadmeet (DelMarVa Highways)

That's it for tonight. Thanks again to Doug for dropping by and to y'all for reading and listening.

P.S. I didn't get around to talking about "Uncle Dell's" song "Runnin' Shine", but again, here's the video to this butt-kickin' song...

A Rockin' Roadgeek Tune From Dawsonville

The Georgia Road Geek — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:55:16 GMT

This afternoon, I discovered a new really rockin', butt-kickin', hardcore "roadgeek tune" from Dawsonville's own Dell Conner (a.k.a. "Uncle Dell"). It's called "Runnin' Shine" and it is now a certified "GRG Roadgeek Tune".

GA 9 (Old US 19) in the Dawsonville town square is featured in the music video below...

My next "GRG On BTR" show will feature my take on electronic toll systems and I hope you will tune in and listen (live showtime will be tomorrow at 9:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time).

That's it for now. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy "Uncle Dell's" video, and please come back again.

GRG On BTR: Sidewalks Revisited

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:43:43 GMT

Here's the podcast of my latest "GRG On BTR" episode...

... and here are the links to articles and most websites I discussed on this episode...

AJC.com Article: Drivers Mistake GA 400 Dividers For Sidewalks
Coastal Georgia Roads
GA 400 Hospitality Highway
Jacksonville.com Article: Making Roundabout Fair Play
"necromancer's" YouTube Videos
New Overhead Gantries On GA 400 Northbound
Peach State Roads
St. Simons Island Roundabout (GlynnCounty.org)

That's it for now. Thanks for visiting, reading my blogs, and listening to "GRG On BTR". Have a great weekend!

New Overhead Gantries On GA 400 Northbound

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:07:05 GMT

After several months of waiting, I am finally glad to see that GDOT finally got the new overhead gantries on US 19/GA 400 northbound installed. Here are the photos I took this afternoon...

At Exit 12B, the GDOT contractors are preparing to install the final new gantry at the exit itself. The sign has been mounted on the scaffolding and it seems that all they need now is to install the left pole. Hopefully, the contractor won't leave it all sitting there for several months.

Finally, here's one of the new "Hospitality Highway" signs that have popped up recently...

I know that, to many of you, GA 400 and hospitality is an oxymoron like "military intelligence" or "political ethics", but serioulsly, it's part of a tourism campaign to encourage travelers to visit the sights along the corridor from Sandy Springs to Dahlonega.

Well, it's time to prepare for tonight's episode of "GRG On BTR". As soon as the show is over and it has been converted to a podcast, I'll post the podcast to this blog.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and visiting and please come back often.

Goodbye GA 120 Loop... Hello GA 3 Connector

The Georgia Road Geek — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:25:08 GMT

This morning, Mary and I, along with our friend Abby, traveled to Marietta to participate in the annual MS Walk.

For the past several years, we have done this in support of Laura, a friend and former co-worker of Mary's who has battled Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for the past several years.

Once the walk was over, I decided to take advantage of this beautiful, sunny day and do some "roadgeeking".

On misc.transport.road (MTR), J.T. Legg of Peach State Roads announced earlier this year about the road changes in Marietta. Here is a summary of the changes made in the Marietta area after the first of the year..

- GA 120 Loop was removed and replaced with GA 120 Alt on the northern Marietta Loop.

- GA 120 was rerouted onto the southern Marietta Loop.

- The section of GA 120's old route between US 41/GA 3 at The Big Chicken and the Marietta Loop interchange just east of I-75 was redesignated GA 3 Connector.

- The remainder of GA 120's old route from US 41/GA 3 to just west of the Marietta Square is now under local maintenance.

Here's a photo of one of the new GA 3 Conn signs at The Big Chicken...

Please click here to see more of my new Marietta sign pics.

Before leaving Marietta, I once again paid homage to The Big Chicken to shoot a video message for y'all.

While at the Chicken, I bought Mary and I matching Big Chicken t-shirts and a Big Chicken "beanie baby".

Our friend Abby was with us and while I was waiting in line to purchase the souvenirs, she and Mary checked out the Big Chicken mementos and memorabilia in their display cases. While there, I couldn't help but reminisce about my last trip involving Adam, "Smilin' John", Doug, and Joe (who was quite happy to see the Chicken in person).

Finally, I just want to say goodbye to the GA 120 Loop. Even though the designation was changed, it will always be the "120 Loop" to me. GA 120 Loop may be no more, but at least we still have our beloved Chicken.

That's it for now. Thanks to Mary and Abby for indulging me in my post-walk "roadgeeking" and...

Armchair Quarterback of the Highways

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:39:30 GMT

Tonight's episode of "GRG On BTR" was about "armchair quarterbacking". Here's the episode for your listening pleasure...

Here are the websites I mentioned...

Georgia Podcast Network
My I-14 Idea (Example of "Armchair Quarterbacking" Roads)
Talking Traffic
The Georgia Road Geek (New Look)

That's it for now. Thanks always for reading, listening, and visiting. Please come back again.

New GRG Photo Gallery

The Georgia Road Geek — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:26:16 GMT

I have added a new photo gallery to "The Georgia Road Geek".

In this gallery, I've included road pics from Georgia as well as Alabama, California, Florida, and Tennessee.

I've also included road pics I took in Toronto, plus road pics my brother-in-law Lib took while he and my sister Laura were in Kazakhstan. They knew I loved roads and I appreciated their pics (the only Kaz road pics on the net AFAIK).

Please click here to see for yourself.

That's it for this weekend. Thanks for reading and viewing, and please come back again.

Let The Games Begin!

The Georgia Road Geek — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:24:48 GMT

This Saturday morning, for the first time since 1996, the games have begun again in Atlanta... but this time, it's not the Olympics.

Just after 9 AM, on I-75/85 between University Avenue and 10th Street, the repavement of this stretch of heavily-traveled Georgia Interstate had begun... and already drivers are playing the "beep and creep" game.

According to the Georgia DOT, the repaving activity will be done only on weekends from 9 AM Saturdays until 5 AM Mondays.

The work should be completed in November, so if you can avoid I-75/85 on the weekends, then please do. I know I will.

In 1996, GDOT last repaved I-75/85 in preparation for the Olympic games. Now that 12 years has passed (the road surface's lifespan), it is time to do it again.

Considering the crappy stretch of Interstate I've driven on in Alabama (I-20 near Anniston) and strecthes of pockmarked pavement on I-75 in North Florida, I think it's good that this work is being done. Atlanta's roads may be clogged and congested too often, but IMHO, at least we are blessed with high-quality state-maintained routes throughout the state. As long as GDOT uses our taxpayer dollars in constructive ways such as this, I'd be willing to put up with some degree of delay on the weekend. Coming from an IT background, I can say that maintenance activities can be mundane, but if you think about the "long haul", the old cliche of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" definitely applies to roads as well as computers and other infrastructure items.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and please come back often.

SOURCE: "Closing, roadwork begin on Downtown Connector", Atlanta Journal-Constitution Metro Section, 4/12/2008.

Are There Really Sidewalks On GA 400?

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:59:22 GMT

Folks, I've just had a great time broadcasting on my show "GRG On BTR".

Here it is... all recorded by BlogTalk Radio for your listening pleasure...

For your viewing, reading, and websurfing pleasure, here are the websites that I referred to on this episode...

- Dashboard Cinema
- Freewayjim's YouTube Videos
- Georgia DOT "TREX"
- "Georgia On My Mind" Blogsite (Featuring Georgia Blog Carnival Edition #33)
- More Georgia County Route Sign Photos from "Smilin' John" Krakoff
- Otto Yamamoto's Peak Oil Boogie
- "ROADGEEK-CAM!!!"

That's it for now. Thanks for reading, listening, and for giving some "linky-love" to the above websites.

Please come back again and have a great weekend!

GRG On BTR: Sidewalks On GA 400?

The Georgia Road Geek — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:47:07 GMT

Are there going to be sidewalks on GA 400?

Tune in to tomorrow (Friday, 4/11) night's episode of "The Georgia Road Geek" on BlogTalkRadio (GRG On BTR) and find out for yourself about this and other road-related news from Georgia and beyond.

I will be broadcasting live from GRG HQ from 9:30-10 PM Eastern Daylight Time and callers will be welcome.

Thanks in advance for listening and always for your support.

H.B.'s First "Roadgeek Video"

The Georgia Road Geek — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:49:12 GMT

Kentucky road enthusiast H.B. Elkins, webmaster of Millennium Highway, has entered the world of the "roadgeek video" and I'm proud to show it off here at "The Georgia Road Geek".

Please take a look for yourself by clicking here. (NOTE: The video is in Quicktime MP4 format.)

Kudos to H.B. on his debut "roadgeek video" and I hope to see more coming from him.

That's it for now. I hope you enjoy H.B.'s video, thank you for reading and watching, and hope you will come back again.

Cable Barriers, Overhead Gantries, and Other Things

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:54:14 GMT

On tonight's episode of my talkshow, I discuss the new cable barriers being installed on GA 400 and I-985, the new overhead gantries on GA 400, and other things.

For your listening pleasure, here's the episode...

Here are the websites (besides my own) I mentioned on tonight's show...

American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
Atlanta Radio Club
Georgia DOT

And finally, for your viewing pleasure, here's a video called "Driving Through Roswell", filmed and produced by fellow ham Sean Morgan...

That's it for now. Thanks for reading, listening, and watching, and please come back again.

"I-285 SUCKS" Merchandise For Sale

The Georgia Road Geek — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:30:35 GMT

To celebrate the release of my latest "ROADGEEK-CAM!!!", I have created "I-285 SUCKS" merchandise on Zazzle.

I'm also thinking about offering "GA 400 SUCKS" merchandise. If you're interested, then please let me know by e-mailing webmaster at georgiaroadgeek dot com.

I hope you will purchase one or more of these items and thank you in advance for doing so.

That's it for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back again.

Classic DeKalb County Street Signs

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:09:11 GMT

Recently, I thought about the old black-and-white style of street sign DeKalb County used to erect prior to around 1990. Here are a couple of pictures I took today...

The current style of DeKalb street signs is now white lettering on a somewhat larger green sign, with the street or road name in freeway-style font and the designation (DR, ST, etc.) in all caps.

Since the pre-1990's street signs are becoming harder and harder to find around DeKalb, I thought it would be a good idea to document as many as I can for posterity. In fact, I may even make a special feature page similar to what John Krakoff and I did with Georgia's County Route Signs. In fact, John's photos of Douglas County signs as featured on Gribble Nation had inspired me in recent times to document these old DeKalb street signs.

Around Chamblee, I've noticed that there is yet another change, with both the street or road name and designation in all-caps and in a somewhat skinnier font. I've seen at least 2 of them so far, one on Clairmont Road and the other on Chamblee-Tucker Road at Peachtree Road near the new Chamblee Village Wal-Mart.

It's been a long day and I'm getting tired, so that's it for now. Thanks always for reading my blogs, watching my videos, and listening to my talkshow. Please come back again for more.

I-285 SUCKS!!! ...The Movie

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:55:28 GMT

Fresh from The Georgia Road Geek Studios...

REMINDER: At 9:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time tonight on my BlogTalkRadio talkshow, Steve Alpert of "Alps Roads" will be my guest. I hope y'all tune in and listen.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading, watching, and listening, and please come back again.

Updated Roadgeek Playlist - 3/22/2008

The Georgia Road Geek — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:58:50 GMT

This afternoon, I decided to refresh my iPod to include some more tunes I've added to the iTunes "Roadgeek" playlist.

The latest entries include, Ray Charles's "Georgia On My Mind" ("... Still in peaceful dreams I see the road leads back to you."), The Allman Brothers Band's "Ramblin' Man" ("...I was born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus... rollin' down Highway 41."), and some John Mellencamp.

If you'd like to see the entire "Roadgeek" playlist (in PDF format), please click here.

Whenever I add more songs in the future, I'll update the list and upload it to the website.

BTW, my next talkshow episode on Friday, March 28th, at 9:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time will feature Steve Alpert of Alps Roads. Not only is Steve a roadgeek, but he's a road designer by profession, so it should be a very interesting visit. I hope you will tune in and listen, and thank you in advance for doing so.

That's it for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back again.

The Return of FreewayJim

The Georgia Road Geek — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:34:58 GMT

This evening, I hosted another episode of my BlogTalkRadio talkshow and had my good friend and fellow Georgia road enthusiast/roadgeek videographer "FreewayJim" as my guest.

Here's "FreewayJim's" latest YouTube video BTW...

Regarding yesterday's blog, here's a "shoutout" to frequent comment poster "BlackAcura", who got me hooked up with CutePDF, an application that allows you to convert Word documents to PDF without having to buy and install the more expensive software. Thanks for the info and for your readership and comments, "BlackAcura".

Please click here to read my letter from GDOT in PDF (RE: 2008 official Georgia Highway Map).

And finally, "FreewayJim" wonders why, if I-520 will begin at I-20 in Georgia and end back at I-20 in South Carolina, why not give it an even-number such as "420", since it will be a loop instead of a spur route. Given that the number will remain "520", this will be the only odd-numbered 3-digit Interstate (3di) in the U.S. to begin and end at its "parent" route. Jim, your guess is as good as mine, but most of all, thanks for being my guest and let's hook up for that "joint roadgeek video" venture soon.

That's it for tonight. It's been a looooong day, I'm tired, and I'm going to bed, y'all.

Thanks for reading and listening to my talkshow and please stay tuned for more.