The

Atlanta Regional Commission Board of Directors

last week 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. A public

meeting for Fayette residents will be Tuesday,

Feb. 15 in the commissioners' meeting room at the

County Administrative Complex.

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 Fayette 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. Local officials

are hoping a long-planned bike path on Redwine

Road from Peachtree City to Fayetteville will be

among $500 million in expansion of the region's

system.

Through

aggressive pursuit of vehicle emission control

strategies, investments in transportation

alternatives to the car and new "smarter

growth" land use policies, air quality

requirements will be met by the target date of

2003, with continuous improvement through 2025,

ARC planners say.

The

VISION 2020 planning effort, completed in 1996,

provided guidance for the development of the RTP.

Additional policy recommendations came from five

ARC community task forces created to examine

strategies that would reduce reliance on driving

alone, enhance the region's mobility and improve

air quality. In May 1999, the ARC board

established policies and plan guidelines based on

the work of these task forces and other planning

partners.

The

ARC board also released the draft Transportation

Improvement Program for public comment. It will

distribute $1.9 billion over the next three years

for projects that emphasize alternatives to the

single-occupant vehicle. The TIP is a set of

priority transportation projects taken from the

long-range plan and mirrors the RTP's emphasis on

transit, with 40 percent of the total funding

going for transit projects. The short-range TIP

will provide the region's commuters with some

quick relief as it will set in motion many of the

projects found in the long-range RTP.

"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.

Fayette

residents who can't make the Feb. 15 local

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.

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 .

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