The historic scenic byway that begins in Gray and runs through Jones County farm and forest lands has recently been a topic for public meetings for the first time in more than a decade.
The Ocmulgee-Piedmont Scenic Byway has been in the news because of its location near the proposed site of a 250-foot communications tower. If constructed, the tower would be located very near the start of the historic byway.
The Gray Downtown Development Authority, as well as property owners in the area, objected to that.
A scenic byway is defined as any designated highway, street, road or route that significantly features certain intrinsic qualities that should be protected or enhanced. There are currently 17 scenic byways in Georgia.
The program is handled by the Georgia Department of Transportation, and its primary purpose is to promote tourism. Jones County’s scenic byway was designated by the Georgia Department of Transportation in 2006 and at the time was the ninth scenic byway in the state system.
The Ocmulgee-Piedmont Scenic Byway begins in downtown Gray on Highway 11. The route continues north on Highway 11 for approximately nine miles, where it passes through the communities of Bradley, Wayside and Round Oak. It next turns west on Round Oak-Juliette Road, proceeding for approximately 12 miles before ending at the Ocmulgee River in Juliette.
The story of the scenic byway is a trip back through local history.
The Ocmulgee-Piedmont Scenic Byway traverses 200 years of Jones County history as well as the pre-historic and historic sites of the Creek Indians that lived there in the 17th and 18th centuries.
What is now Georgia Highway 11 was formerly an Indian trail and a major northsouth route between Hillsboro in Jasper County and Clinton, Jones County’s 19th century county seat.
In 1864, during the Civil War, opposing forces met along this road at the Battle of Sunshine Church, and later that year General Sherman followed this route through Jones County on his “March to the Sea.”
The Round Oak-Juliette Road portion of the byway was originally an Indian trail and now travels through the pristine pine forests of the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, which is inhabited by several species of endangered wildlife. East Juliette, the endpoint
East Juliette, the endpoint of the byway, is a small late 19th/early 20th century mill village community located on the Ocmulgee River. The town of Juliette, on the other side of the river, was the setting for the 1991 film “Fried Green Tomatoes.”
The first public hearing required for the designation of the scenic byway was held in April of 2005, and the final hearing was held in November of 2005. The process started with the creation of a 501(c)3. The effort was led by Sandra McKinney, who was the Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce executive director at the time the process was started and William Mathews, who followed McKinney in the position.
Information from the public hearings was compiled by committee members, and projects and goals were chosen to be incorporated into the Corridor Management Plan, the last part of the application to the program.
The National Scenic Byways Program was created by Congress in 1991. Georgia is among 38 states that have established statewide scenic byway programs. Once a road is named a Georgia Scenic Byway, it becomes eligible to be nominated to the federal program.
Contributions from Gray’s City Council, Jones County Board of Commissioners, Gray/ Jones County Chamber of Commerce and Development Authority made it possible to hire the Middle Georgia Regional Development Center (MGRDC) to complete the required Corridor Management Plan.
The zoning request that would allow the construction of the communications tower was denied by Gray’s City Council members at their July 11 meeting.
