Thursday in Statesboro, Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns announced $6 million in Georgia DOT funding to rebuild a bridge near the start of the Creek on the Blue Mile project, plus a $2.65 million state grant for the trail along the creek.

Burns, a Republican who resides in northern Effingham County, has served 18 years in the state House of Representatives and continues to represent District 159, which includes part of Bulloch County. But previously majority leader, he was elected speaker, the top position in the House, by its members beginning with the 2023 session.

He and 19th District Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, chair of the Senate Finance Committee; 4th District Sen. Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro; and District 160 Rep. Lehman Franklin III, R-Statesboro, formed the state lawmaker panel for the Building a Better Bulloch Together luncheon hosted by Morris Bank in the new Fox Hall event venue in the West District development.

After mentioning the Creek on the Blue Mile plan, Burns said Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry and State Transportation Board Chair Ann Purcell were allowing him to announce “that a $6 million appropriation has been put in place that will fund replacement of a bridge on 301 that … is central to that project moving forward.”

“Also for the creek project, there is $2.65 million scheduled for F.Y. (fiscal year) ’23 that would also fund a design project for the work on the Blue Mile creek trail,” Burns added.

He expressed thanks to McMurry for the work of “his team” at Georgia DOT in the engineering and funding.

The Blue Mile is Statesboro’s South Main Street – a segment of U.S. Highways 301 and 25 – from the original Georgia Southern University entrance at Southern Drive to the Bulloch County Courthouse. Distinct from but intersecting with the Blue Mile streetscaping project, the Creek on the Blue Mile is a local plan with flood control, recreation and economic developing goals for Little Lotts Creek from the Blue Mile downstream, or southeastward, across the southern portion of downtown Statesboro.

This is not the first time that state financing or funding has been approved for this project. A $15.5 million Georgia Environmental Finance Authority line of credit and $5.5 million in direct state funding were announced in Statesboro in late 2018 by then-Gov. Nathan Deal when the plan, originally envisioned as creating a lake-like reservoir that could be paired with the state park, was unveiled.

After an engineering team contracted by Statesboro’s city government projected that the cost of the public infrastructure would be in the $44.6 million to $72.4 million range, the reservoir was removed as a major component, reducing the infrastructure cost projection to about $28 million.

The state bridge and trail funding, totaling $8.65 million, appears to reduce the public infrastructure cost toward what the city can borrow from GEFA after spending most of the original grant on engineering and planning.

“Now that it’s been made public, it’s huge news for Statesboro,” said Blue Mile Foundation President Keely Fennell, on her way out of Thursday’s lunch forum.

“It’s huge news that the state believes in revitalizing Statesboro, believes in building a better Statesboro, and with this grant it allows the bridge to be implemented so the creek project can go forward,” she said, adding that with the trail grant, “everything is falling into place to make it a destination for Statesboro.”

The new bridge would be built higher and longer than the current one, allowing tiered drainage structures, walkways and landscaping to be built underneath it along the creek. This U.S. 301 bridge is in fact the point where the creek meets the Blue Mile.

Advocates for the project hope to see the state fund a bridge replacement on Fair Road next, Fennell said.

While the city of Statesboro, assisted by the state, is responsible for the public infrastructure, the Blue Mile Foundation and a Creek Commission are planning for private investment to surround these projects.

In response to prepared questions, the lawmakers discussed larger transportation projects being planned because of the boom in new industries along the I-16, as well as education and health care-related spending by the state government.

A major announcement heard Thursday about the funding of a medical school in the region will  be the subject of another story.