Bob Young is sworn in as mayor of Augusta by Judge David D. Watkins at the inauguration ceremony at the Municipal Building in January. Young's wife, Gwen Fulcher-Young, holds the Bible. (Jonathan Ernst/The Augusta Chronicle)
City sees changes since last Masters
Web posted 04/08/99
But not everything stays the same. There have been quite a few new things to pop up during the past year, and some things that are no longer here.
Some guests arriving to Augusta by air this week may be surprised to find that Bobby Jones Expressway, which used to terminate at Highway 56, also known as New Savannah Road, has been extended. Now if you need to go downtown from Bush Field airport, it's a straight shot down the expressway to Sand Bar Ferry Road. The extension opened in late July after months of work.
A few other road projects during the year will make your driving around Augusta a little smoother: Jackson Road, which runs between Walton Way Extension and Wrightsboro Road, has been repaved; the section of Walton Way between 15th Street and Milledge Road has been reconstructed; and there is a new exit off of Interstate 20 onto Wheeler Road.
Once you get where you're going, you might be looking for a bite to eat, and there are several new restaurants in the Augusta area offering a variety of different cuisines. The biggest explosion of restaurants has been on Robert C. Daniel Jr. Parkway, at Augusta Exchange shopping center. New restaurants there include Chili's, a Tex-Mex eatery; Don Pablo's, an authentic Mexican restaurant; Logan's Roadhouse, a steak grill; and Atlanta Bread Company, a gourmet deli. There's also a coffee and dessert cafe located inside Borders Books and Music at the same shopping center.
If you're more interested in international cuisine, there's Semolina International Pasta Restaurant, located at 204 Bobby Jones Expressway in Martinez. This brand-new restaurant, open just in time for the Masters Tournament, serves pasta dishes based on several international palates ranging from Asian to Mediterranean. Bistro 491, a brand-new restaurant in Surrey Center on Highland Avenue, offers country French cuisine and a stellar wine list in a laid-back atmosphere.
On Augusta's ``main drag,'' Washington Road, the Oldenberg Grille Restaurant and Micro-brewery (3035 Washington Road) serves up beer brewed on site alongside gourmet pizzas, German-style cuisine and steak. A little way down the road, The Coastal Grill at 2820 Washington Road offers seafood cooked many different ways and an upbeat atmosphere.
If you're downtown and have a hankering for a bagel, don't head for Mally's Bagels and Grits. The breakfast and lunch diner on Broad Street closed shortly after Christmas. Their original location, though, at 2742 Washington Road, is still open and going strong. Other casualties among area restaurants include The Kingfish Seafood Grille and Oyster Bar, which was located on Columbia Road in Martinez, and Fat Tuesday, which closed its Washington Road location. Dye's Fish Camp has opened in the Kingfish location.
If you're watching the evening news and find that you don't recognize the anchorman on Channel 6, it's because he's new. Brad Means, WJBF's new evening broadcaster, came to Augusta in August to replace former anchorman Bob Young -- who left journalism to enter politics and was elected Augusta's new mayor in November.
You might notice, while driving down some of Augusta's historic streets, that the city's famous azaleas don't seem as bright and majestic as they have in the past. Last summer, Augusta lost more than 15,000 azalea bushes because of drought and city-imposed restrictions on outdoor watering. Crews planted new bushes along Broad Street, Greene Street, Central Avenue and Henry Street in February, but it will take several years for the young plants to grow to the size of their predecessors.
One of the biggest new things for locals is ice. Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center installed an ice floor last year to accommodate the city's new hockey team, the Augusta Lynx, who just completed their first season. And amateurs bitten by the ice-skating bug can test their skills at the city's new public ice skating rink, The Augusta IceForum, on Augusta West Parkway.
