Monroe County / Cities of Culloden and Forsyth Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning

Growing, growing, gone?  Not if Monroe County and its Cities, Forsyth and Culloden, have anything to say about the matter.  The rural character of these communities is much valued by its residents but being bisected by I-75 and situated between Atlanta and Macon, Monroe County is becoming one of the fastest growing Counties in Georgia.  Aiding in this growth is the relocation of the Georgia Department of Corrections headquarters to the City of Forsyth and the suburban residential housing developments which are beginning to overtake the High Falls and Bolingbroke areas of the County.  Faced with such rapid development, the community is aware of the need to focus on open and green space preservation and bicycle and pedestrian facilities to help reduce vehicular congestion and to maintain aspects of its long-enjoyed rural spaces and quality-of-life.

Bicycle and pedestrian facilities have the potential to be an important mode of transportation in and around the Cities of Forsyth and Culloden, and the other unincorporated areas in Monroe County such as Bolingbroke, Juliette, and High Falls.  Even though the county currently lacks an interconnected network of bikeways and walkways, the community does have a starting point with the Regional Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan, prepared in early 2005 by the Middle Georgia RDC.  Further, in the 2007 Joint Comprehensive Plan Update, all three jurisdictions have indicated a desire to consider generating an in-depth local bicycle-pedestrian plan that will tie into the Regional Plan.

Monroe County
The Regional Plan recommends the installation of several facilities within Monroe County, including bike lane facilities along US 41, Juliette Road, Estes Road, and Rivoli Drive.  A new bicycle facility along Juliette Road will provide an alternative connection between two historical areas, the City of Forsyth and unincorporated Juliette, as well as a connection to the Ocmulgee-Piedmont Scenic Byway in neighboring Jones County.

City of Forsyth
The City of Forsyth is committed to becoming a pedestrian-friendly downtown with safe, accessible facilities that provide linkages between downtown and the new Department of Corrections headquarters at Tift College Campus.  The primary goal of these facilities is to reduce automobile traffic, particularly during the lunch hour, and to encourage pedestrian and bicycle activity.  Through the assistance of a Transportation Enhancement grant, the City of Forsyth is engaged in efforts to improve the sidewalks, move utility poles, and install other pedestrian amenities on the streets around the courthouse square.  Once the courthouse square sidewalk project is successfully completed, Forsyth has the opportunity to improve upon other existing sidewalks as well as connect in-town residential areas to major employment centers.

Through funding assistance made available by the Georgia Department of Transportation in FY2008, the City of Forsyth was able to prepare a Pedestrian Facility/Sidewalk Infrastructure Improvement Plan. This plan provides local officials with a guide for current and future sidewalk maintenance, as well as recommendations for expansion to major activity centers and neighborhoods not currently served by pedestrian facilities. You can view the plan by clicking on the following link: Forsyth Sidewalk Plan. 

City of Culloden
The City of Culloden would like to upgrade its pedestrian amenities, particularly in the downtown area, and plans consider utilizing the former Norfolk-Southern railroad bed to establish a Rails-to-Trails bicycle and pedestrian facility.