The streets of Athens, Ga., were filled with Georgia Bulldogs' fans and students well into the early morning hours of Jan. 11 following the football team's historic win over Alabama to clinch their first National Championship in 41 years.

But some of the celebrations got a little out of hand and the local government needs help putting things back in place.

"Man, is there gonna be some property destroyed tonight," is a phrase the late Bulldogs' play-by-play announcer Larry Munson often said following some of Georgia's most notable victories. But, while there was not much damage in Athens following the title game, there were reports that some construction barriers and barrels had mysteriously disappeared.

Video posted to social media shows fans tossing the barriers from one side of the crowd to the other with several in a pile in the middle of the road. Many were left there, but others simply vanished.

In response, the Athens-Clarke County (ACC) unified government put out a call asking anyone who may know where several construction barriers had gone to please let them know.

In a Facebook post, it wrote:

"WANTED: During last night's celebrations, safety barricades & traffic barrels were removed from E. Clayton St. downtown. If you have one, find one somewhere, or know where one is, please return it or let us know by private message or call Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department at 706-613-3501. NO QUESTIONS ASKED — we just need them back."

Despite Thefts, Work to Be Finished in 2022

The current Clayton Street project has been under construction since 2018. The $12 million effort is designed to repave the road, make it more pedestrian-friendly, and add things like benches and bike racks. It also will replace stormwater drainage and sewer infrastructure.

The completion date has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but an ACC spokesperson told CEG that it is currently on track to be wrapped up in the late spring of this year.

When it is completed, a stretch of Clayton from Lumpkin Street to Thomas Street will have two traffic lanes instead of three, but wider sidewalks with room for more pedestrians and more outdoor seating for restaurants.

In a story from last September's Flagpole Magazine, an independent publication based in Athens, the Clayton Street project's last steps — tree planting and repaving the street — should be finished around April, and public art along the route could come soon after.

"New trees better suited to an urban environment will be planted in spaces that are better designed to handle their root systems," reads an ACC summary of the project.

The new trees will be more modest in size than the oaks and gingko trees workers began cutting down in 2020. They will not give much shade anytime soon, though, Flagpole noted. The plan calls for stringing festoon lighting among the new trees when they get tall enough.

Among others, the new trees will include Chinese ironwood, endangered in its home range; European hornbeam, which can be shaped like topiary; and brilliant Japanese maple, popular with bonsai practitioners.

The Athens-based publication reported that a crew member for one contractor working downtown said they had found a tunnel not marked on any maps as they dug deep under Clayton's concrete and asphalt between Lumpkin Street and College Avenue — not the first time workers have discovered relics of the city that could be a century old or more.

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