ARC Accepting Public Comment on Amendment to Transportation Improvement Program

Atlanta — Jul 15, 2024

The Atlanta Regional Commission is accepting public comment through Friday, July 19 on an amendment to the regional Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) that would allocate $265 million for transportation projects across metro Atlanta.

The amendment includes $38.2 million in congressionally directed spending grants (formerly known as earmarks) and $221.6 million in federal discretionary grant funding. Projects include:

Flint River Gateway Trails
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded two grants totaling $65 million for this planned 31-mile multi-use trail network that will connect the Atlanta BeltLine in Southwest Atlanta, Clayton County, and the Tri-Cities area of College Park, East Point, and Hapeville, which includes the headwaters of the Flint River. The funds, awarded through the federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program, will be used to build three trail segments and plan nine other sections.
The Stitch
This effort to build a park-like ‘cap’ over a portion of the Downtown Connector in the City of Atlanta has received more than $150 million in federal grants and congressionally directed spending grants for work that includes preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and some construction.
National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) projects
EV charging infrastructure is planned along I-575 in northern Cherokee County and I-85 in Coweta County, utilizing $2 million in federal discretionary funding.
Transit Fleet Upgrades
$2.55 million in congressionally directed spending grants to improve transit vehicles and customer amenities on Gwinnett County Transit route 50, which serves the Suwanee area, and route 60, which connects Georgia Gwinnett College to Lawrenceville and Snellville via SR 124.
Connected Vehicle Pilot and Plan Development
Henry County will utilize a $600,000 SMART grant from the Federal Highway Administration to improve roadway operations and decrease vehicle response times.

To comment or learn more about the proposed changes, visit atlantaregional.org/amendment or contact Morgan Bray at 470-378-1439. The ARC Board and Transportation and Air Quality Committee are expected to vote on the TIP Amendment at a specially called joint meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

The Transportation Improvement Program is the mechanism by which federal, state, and local funds are approved for all significant surface transportation projects and programs in the region The TIP is updated several times throughout the year, as projects change or new funding becomes available. This update is required to incorporate new discretionary grant funding from Congress and U.S. Department of Transportation.

For more information, download an executive summary or visit Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

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The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the official planning agency for the 11-county Atlanta Region, including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties as well as the City of Atlanta and 75 other cities. The Atlanta Regional Commission’s mission is to foster thriving communities for all within the Atlanta region through collaborative, data-informed planning and investments.