Improving, Expanding for Future Growth
Metro Atlanta sits at the intersection of three major interstate highways and serves as a major logistics hub for the Southeast and the nation.
The Atlanta Regional Commission, the transportation planning agency for the 20-county region, forecasts metro Atlanta’s population will reach 7.9 million by 2050. ARC and its partner agencies are working on a number of fronts to address this growth in order to reduce congestion and increase transportation options, while improving safety and air quality:
- Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) – The region’s long-term transportation plan includes over $92 billion to maintain, improve, and expand roads and highways in metro Atlanta through 2050. Highlights of the MTP include a network of managed toll lanes on area highways and improvements to major interchanges and arterial roads
- Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) – The TIP allocates federal funds for use in construction of the highest-priority transportation projects contained in the MTP. The current FY 2024-2027 TIP covers the first four years of the MTP. Projects in the TIP must be fully funded
- Regional Freight Mobility Plan – ARC, working with a Freight Advisory Task Force, has developed a regional freight plan designed to improve the movement of goods throughout metro Atlanta.
- Georgia Commute Options – This program encourages a range of alternative commuting options, such as carpooling, vanpooling, transit and teleworking.
- Transportation System Management & Operations (TSM&O) – Overhead warning signs, efficiently timed traffic signals, traffic monitoring, and other technological advances help reduce congestion and improve safety.
Congestion Management Process
A Congestion Management Process (CMP) is defined as a systematic approach for managing congestion by providing information on the performance of the roadway system and considering a variety of solutions that meet local needs. While a CMP must be an integral part of a metropolitan planning process, federal regulations are not prescriptive regarding the methods and approaches which must be utilized. ARC incorporates the required elements of a CMP throughout all aspects of its modal and subarea planning activities, with the MTP serving as the ultimate end product of the Atlanta region’s Congestion Management Process.
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