ARC Sends Transportation Wish List to DOT

Atlanta Regional Commission just submitted the metro region's wish list of transportation projects to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

ARC received 437 submissions totaling $29 billion, including several  and  projects, as previously reported on Patch. 

What's new is MARTA has also submitted several projects affecting the local area, including the transit system hopes to get some funds to mitigate vibrations in tunnels between East Lake Station and the Avondale Station. 

DeKalb County has also sent in its wish list, including a project to help relieve congestion at key intersections from U.S. 78 (Scott Boulevard) to West Ponce de Leon,  including traffic signal upgrades, resurfacing, adding sidewalks and adding bike lanes.

There's also a Clifton corridor project that could touch on City of Decatur if selected.

The overall project "wish" list includes transit, safety, bike and trail and other improvements to choose from, to potentially be funded by a regional referendum in July of 2012. If successful, the penny sales tax could generate approximately $8 billion over a 10-year period, made possible by the Transportation Investment Act of 2010.

“Our local governments, transit agencies and others have compiled and submitted a very comprehensive list of projects,” said Bucky Johnson, Mayor of Norcross and chair of the Atlanta Regional Transportation RoundtableRoundtable, in a release. “This is an important step in a long process to get where we need to go. We look forward to working together as a region to craft an exciting list of improvements for voters to consider next year.”

But submitting the list is just the first step. The list will get whittled down in a several step process from now until October, when the final list will be made available before the 2012 referendum vote.

First, DOT Planning Director Todd Long will evaluate each of the 437 transportation projects submitted, using criteria developed by the roundtable last year. Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd sits on the roundtable.

According to an ARC press release, Long will delete projects that don’t meet the criteria and potentially add projects that meet the criteria but were not submitted by a local government. Long will then present an “unconstrained” list of projects to the roundtable by June 1.

The woundtable will then whittle Long’s list down during the summer and fall to a smaller "working" list, which will become available for public comment.

A final list that meets the $8 billion budget, will then be transmitted back to DOT in October. At at that point, it will be presented to the public before the vote on the referendum is held next year. 

For a complete list of the projects, click here.