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Public hearing: Paulding County DOT recommends abandoning unused portion of Austin Bridge Road to adjacent owners
Summary
Paulding County DOT told commissioners an unused 580-foot section of Austin Bridge Road appears on older county maps but is not used today and recommended abandoning the right-of-way back to four adjacent property owners under OCGA 32-7-1 and 32-7-2; the public hearing produced no opposition comments.
At a public hearing, a Paulding County Department of Transportation representative presented a request from heirs of James Clontz to abandon an unused portion of Austin Bridge Road adjacent to their property in Post 3.
The DOT representative said the unused segment is roughly 580 feet long and 40 feet wide (about 23,200 square feet) and is a leftover from a prior roadway alignment. Staff reported they found the segment on a 1953 county map but not on maps from the 1960s and said they could find no evidence the road was formally abandoned in compliance with state law. Citing Georgia law (OCGA 32-7-1 and 32-7-2), DOT recommended abandoning the roadway back to the four adjacent property owners because the segment "serves no public use currently" and the hauling DOT determined it is not needed for future county maintenance.
Chair opened the hearing for public comment; no members of the public registered an objection and the hearing was closed. The transcript records the DOT recommendation and the close of the hearing; it does not record a final board vote on abandonment during this work session.
What happens next: DOT recommended formal abandonment to the board under the cited OCGA sections; next steps would typically include staff preparing a resolution and, if approved, documenting property interests and easements.
