Dollars and Sense Speed Transportation Solutions

By Yvonne Williams

Time is not on our side when it comes to the transportation challenges facing metro Atlanta and Georgia. With 6 million people projected to live in the metro area by 2030, and substantial growth patterns along the Interstate 75 and 85 corridors set to significantly impact traffic, accelerated action is key to preserving the economic vitality of the state and the region.

The only acceptable solution is for the public and private sectors to work together to expedite the short- and long-range transportation initiatives, including Mobility 2030 of the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Governor's Fast Forward program. Still, cooperation meets only part of the challenge. More funds with greater flexibility are the other vital component in addressing Georgia's transportation woes.

One example of the potential for public-private cooperation is Senate Bill 4, which addresses congressional balancing of federal and state funds. By essentially exempting projects on the interstate highway system from the congressional balancing formula, the legislation reduces budget constraints that have previously hindered these costly construction and improvement projects.

The legislation would divide and balance 80 percent of the budget among the state's congressional districts. The remaining 20 percent is to be dispersed at the discretion of the Georgia Department of Transportation among areas that have the most critical needs.

When those regions most in need can access more of the 20 percent pot of funding, the ease of travel between major markets and vital corridors is enhanced and, ultimately, so is regional connectivity. The legislation will also make it easier to acquire funding for projects and move them from the planning phase to implementation, benefiting communities across Georgia.

The Community Improvements Districts Alliance, of which the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (PCIDs) is a member, strongly supported the legislation because of the benefits to transportation and quality of life for the region's residents and commuters. The CID Alliance, an informal group representing 10 of the 11 CIDs in metro Atlanta, is the collective voice of the CID business community whose property owners voluntarily tax themselves additional property taxes in order to expedite needed infrastructure, transportation, amenities or other improvements within a geographic district's boundaries.

Gov. Sonny Perdue has committed to prioritize resources and funding through his Fast Forward transportation program. Designed to avoid bureaucracy and delay, the program will help accelerate more than $500 million of congestion relief and improvements in the most congested corridors of the state - Ga. 400 and I-285 - and in the state's Fortune 500 center.

Recent successes of this program include the $34.9 million Perimeter Center Parkway Bridge - a proposed four-lane roadway over I-285 that will connect Lake Hearn Drive and Hammond Drive - future collector/distributor lanes and lane expansions on Ga. 400, and the Hammond ramp project from I-285 to Spalding Drive on Ga. 400.

The multi-agency Congestion Mitigation Task Force is the newest weapon in Georgia's mobility arsenal, responsible for finding ways to select transportation improvement projects that will best relieve congestion issues. The task force, along with Mobility 2030, the Governor's Fast Forward program and S.B. 4, will reinforce the strong public-private relationship the CIDs have built with government and offer bold direction.

The members of the CID Alliance will continue to work with elected officials and other local leaders to strategize for and expand long-term improvements in mobility, access and choice. Providing tangible congestion relief to the region's citizens and commuters is good business. It's good government. Most of all, it's responsible leadership.