State

and federal agencies and environmental groups

have settled their lawsuit over road building

projects, but nothing will change for Fayette

County.

According

to a settlement involving the state and federal

departments of transportation, the Atlanta

Regional Commission and several environmental

organizations, road improvement projects that

were already under construction when the suit

began can proceed.

Neither

of Fayette's major road projects - widening

of Ga. Highway 74 from Ga. Highway 85 to Ga.

Highway 54, and widening of Hwy. 54 from

McDonough Road to the Clayton County line -

were far enough along to meet that test.

"I

don't much like it," said Fayette County

Commission Chairman Harold Bost, who sits on the

ARC Board of Directors. "But there wasn't

anything we could have done about it."

The

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency halted all

road construction in the Atlanta area two years

ago after the region failed to meet EPA's air

quality standards, but exempted 61 projects

- including the two in Fayette - that

were far along in the planning process or were

underway.

Environmental

groups like the Georgia Conservancy filed suit to

stop construction on the

"grandfathered" projects, a suit that

has been rendered moot by the settlement.

Atlanta

Regional Commission spokesman Joe Padilla said

Tuesday that the agency is still working on a

20-year transportation plan that it hopes will

meet EPA's environmental standards.

"There's

a lot to look forward to for Fayette County in

that plan," said Padilla. Not only will the

two road widening projects probably be approved,

but also the county is in line for a commuter

rail line, a county-wide bus system and the use

of extended high occupancy vehicle lanes on

Interstate 85, he said.

"It

will be a plan that will ensure mobility for the

region for the next 25 years," Padilla

added.

In

addition, the plan will include more than $450

million for bike path and similar projects

throughout the region. Fayette has been working

for years for approval of a bike/cart path along

Redwine Road between Peachtree City and

Fayetteville. ARC hopes to have the plan in place

Officials

of the agency have learned from the lawsuit,

Padilla said. "It's certainly something we

don't ever want to see happen again," he

said.

By

broadening the scope of transportation planning

to include more public and alternative

transportation projects, he said, local counties

can avoid seeing traffic pile up while road

improvements are put on hold.

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