Patti Dozier
THOMASVILLE — Thomas County roads that have become impassable are the result of people and water, according to the person in charge of keeping Thomas County roads in shape.
“If it didn’t rain, they wouldn’t have mud to play in,” said Tony Wooten, public works chief.
Boat Ramp Road is a virtual bog. The dirt road was repaired about two weeks ago.
“It was in real, real bad shape,” Wooten explained. “It has not had time to season down, which makes it perfect for bogging.”
New Hope Road is in similar condition, Wooten added.
“Our problem is the people,” he said.
Wooten suggested that parents take responsibility for their children who bog and forbid the activity.
“If you don’t own land, and your son’s truck is covered in mud, he’s been somewhere,” he said.
Three times a year, county crews repair Boat Ramp Road at a cost of about $1,500 each time. No one lives on the road, which leads to an Ochlockonee River boat ramp off U.S. 19 North.
Wooten said it is unfair to spend tax dollars there when roads on which people live need work.
Paving the road is not the answer, he said, because boggers would bog in ditches along the new road.
The problem is not new, said Thomas County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Capt. Chuck McDonald.
“Local boys” who have no place to play in the mud use certain county roads, McDonald explained.
A four-wheel drive vehicle is required to travel through the bogged area, the officer said, adding that sheriff’s office patrol vehicles cannot navigate the bogged-up road.
“There are still people on days like today who like to fish,” McDonald pointed out Monday afternoon.
A deputy working a wreck on the road recently got stuck. The vehicle involved was not bogging, but traveling to the river. The driver was charged with failure to maintain lane and driving under the influence.
Deputies are monitoring the road and confronting boggers as they come out. A verbal warning is issued the first time.
McDonald said that if a vehicle is covered with mud, it is stopped. If the driver says he had been fishing but there is no fishing gear in the vehicle, a problem is evident.
“You look around for fishing tackle,” he explained.
Dirt roads through woods off Boat Ramp Road lead to the nearby river bridge. Boggers also bog through the woods to the bridge, the officer said.
As best they can, deputies are monitoring the bogging situation from the paved road and catching offenders when they emerge.
“It’s part of our normal check. We monitor on a regular basis,” McDonald said.
Wooten pointed out the time law enforcement officers must dedicate to trying to catch boggers.
“How much sheriff’s department time do we want to waste sitting at the end of a road?” Wooten asked.
Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820.
