The Atlanta

Regional Commission Board of Directors recently approved

the draft 25-year, $36 million Regional Transportation

Plan and the official period of public comment has begun.

Also

approved was the $1.9 billion Transportation Improvement

Program, also ready for official public comment.

The 30-day

comment period began Jan. 27 and will include 12 public

meetings beginning Feb. 1, with final board approval

slated for March.

The closest

public meeting to Coweta residents will be in

Fayetteville Tuesday, Feb. 15 at the County

Administrative Complex, 140 Stonewall Ave, in the

commissioners' meeting room, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

While

conforming to air quality requirements, the

transportation plans will give the region's commuters

more transportation options than ever before, ARC

officials say.

"Due

to the efforts of many, ARC will present a plan that will

produce cleaner air and more choices for how we travel in

the future," said ARC director Harry West.

"Although there are some new road projects planned,

the single-occupant car will longer be the star of the

show."

The RTP

signifies a dramatic shift in how transportation funds

are invested as the majority of funding, 55 percent of

the $36 billion, will go to new transit facilities.

If the plan becomes final,

among changes that Coweta residents will see are:

More high occupancy vehicle

lanes on their way to work. The plan anticipates spending

$201 million to extend HOV lanes 15.9 miles down

Interstate 85, from the I-75/85 split to Interstate 285,

then from I-285 south to Ga. Highway 74.

Availability of commuter

rail service. The plan earmarks $70 million for a 31-mile

rail line from Atlanta to Senoia - with stops in

Peachtree City and Tyrone - as part of $5.58 billion

in overall rail transit facilities.

Heavy rail available

nearby. The plan anticipates extending a south rail line

from Hapeville into the Southern Crescent.

A bus system. The plan

includes a 69 percent increase in miles of bus service,

including bus systems in each of the Atlanta region's ten

counties.

Stricter emission control,

inspection and maintenance programs.

More bicycle/pedestrian

paths/lanes. Region-wide, $500 million is set aside for

bike paths.

But road improvements are

not left out of the plan altogether. Among local projects

included are:

Widening of

the Ga. Highway 34 corridor between Newnan and Peachtree

City. Work is already being done on the section of the

road from Ga. Highway 154 to Interstate 85.

Residents

hoping for a quick widening of the rest of the road,

though, may be disappointed. ARC officials estimate the

rest of the nearly $24 million project won't be completed

until 2008.

The

building of the Newnan bypass from Hwy. 34 to U.S. 29.

Widening of

the bridge at Ga. Highway 54 and Line Creek from two to

four lanes.

If the plan

is approved, air quality requirements will be met by the

target date of 2003, with continuous improvement through

2025, ARC planners say.

Also up for

public comment is the five-year Transportation

Improvement Plan, which focuses on the more immediate

projects.

"Out

of the starting gate, ARC is putting heavy emphasis on

transit with 40 percent of the $1.9 billion TIP going to

regional bus purchases, commuter rail and several other

transit initiatives and improvements," said Jane

Hayse, chief of ARC transportation planning.

To fund all

the transit projects found in the RTP, it is forecast

that the region will need to "flex" (transfer

funds from roadway projects) $2.6 billion of Federal

Highway Administration funds. The TIP sets the tone for

the next 25 years by flexing more than $178 million.

Key TIP

projects include more than $20 million for regional bus

purchases and more than $178 million of flexed funds for

commuter rail projects. Also, the Livable Centers

Initiative, which encourages livable development, mixed

uses and connectivity at the activity and town center

levels, will receive more than $23 million. This includes

$1 million per year for the planning studies and

approximately $20 million for initial implementation.

Coweta

residents who can't make the Feb. 15 Fayette briefing may

attend other nearby briefings:

Tuesday, Feb. 1, South Fulton Annex,

5600 Stonewall Tell Road, College Park.

Wednesday, Feb. 2, Henry

County commissioners meeting room 345, Phillips Drive,

McDonough.

Thursday, Feb. 3, Clayton

County Commission board room, 112 Smith St., Jonesboro.

All the

briefings will be 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

A public

hearing is set for Tuesday, Feb. 22, at the Georgia Hill

Community Center, 250 Georgia Ave., Atlanta.

Another

hearing nearby will be Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Manuel

Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur.

For

directions and transit information to these meetings, or

a copy of any of the plans, or if you cannot attend these

meetings and want to submit comments in other ways, phone

ARC at 404-463-3272, e-mail [email protected] , or visit www.atlantaregional.com\rtpsurvey

https://www.atlantaregional.com\rtpsurvey