The U.S. Forest Service has taken steps to repair Service Road #70, also known as Tallulah River Road, following a formal request from U.S. Rep. Doug Collins. Tallulah River Road runs through Towns and Rabun counties.
This spring, Tate City residents wrote the Gainesville Republican about the damage that vehicles, erosion, rock slides and fallen trees had caused to the road, rendering it dangerous and sometimes impossible to navigate. FS-70 represents the only route to several homes located in Tate City and provides access to campgrounds, fishing streams and destinations in the Chattahoochee National Forest and Appalachian Trail.
Collins wrote to the Forest Service to request that the road receive repair and maintenance.
“Not only does the Tallulah River Road serve as the only artery by which residents of secluded Tate City can access their homes . . . it is also one of the more popular and most heavily utilized native surface roads in the entire Chattooga River Ranger District,” said Collins in the letter.
“I am deeply concerned that the roadway’s current condition is causing significant issues for area residents and visitors alike and that, without adequate repair and an appropriate maintenance routine, these problems will compound.”
Residents of Tate City have since noticed improvements to the road, and the Forest Service has confirmed that it has prioritized improvements to FS-70 by clearing out ditches, removing roadside vegetation, managing potholes, and leveling and adding significant amounts of gravel to the road.
Resident Larry Hample reports that these improvements are already helping “the residents of the Tate City Communities of Georgia and North Carolina, as well as others who love to camp, hike, fish and/or simply enjoy the Upper Tallulah River Valley.”
The Forest Service has also committed to maintaining the roadway and to exploring solutions to flooding caused by Line Branch Creek, which flows underneath FS-70, damaging the road at the border of Towns and Rabun counties.
“Northeast Georgia’s natural beauty is unparalleled, and Tallulah River Road represents a path that people take to appreciate that scenery. Thanks to the work of the Forest Service, this road is becoming safer and easier to pilot, and I’ll continue working to defend our natural resources and maintain the infrastructure that allows Georgians to enjoy them,” said Collins.
