The future

of Fayette's future transportation plans may be unveiled after a $140,000

study is completed.

The Fayette

County Commission approved transferring the money from the contingency

fund last week to assess what direction the county travels in planning

transportation needs.

The study will

be done by Atlanta-based URS, which is the largest design firm in the

United States.

"A hundred

and forty thousand dollars is a lot of money. There's a lot of things

to consider. I just don't want to deviate too much from the original plan,"

said Commissioner Herb Frady.

The commissioners

also wanted the consulting firm to realize how residents commute.

"This

is primarily a road transportation plan. People are not going to shop

on bike paths," said Commissioner Peter Pfeifer.

In its overview

of the project, URS officials said Fayette County has 528 miles of roadway,

but very few multi-lane highways.

"In order

to ensure that future needs can be met, corridors to accommodate new travel

demands and relieve facilities that will be over capacity must be identified,"

officials said.

But as Commissioner

A.G. VanLandingham said, the hard work begins after the study is completed.

"If we're

not going to seek funding for these projects, than this is a waste of

money. We have to look at ways of funding," he said.

Commission

chairman Greg Dunn agreed. Since Fayette County does not have anywhere

near the traffic congestion of counties north of Atlanta, he said the

majority of money will be heading to those counties. He said the county

will get some help, but will have to figure out a way to pay for the projects.

The study should

be completed by late this year so the county can present it to the Atlanta

Regional Commission in January.