In the near

future, residents will be able to travel from Clayton to Coweta counties

along a four-laned Ga. Highway 54.

That's one

of the proposals being circulated by the Atlanta Regional Commission in

its latest transportation plan.

The ARC hosted

a public meeting last week in Fayetteville to get input for its proposed

Mobility 2030 Regional Transportation Plan.

Fayetteville

was the last of 12 meetings the ARC and the Georgia Regional Transportation

Authority conducted to gauge resident's thoughts about the ambitious plan.

The plan considers

bicycling and walking paths, a plan to reduce reliance on the single-occupant

vehicle, a plan for managing congestion by looking at the region's multi-modal

transportation system and monitoring current conditions, and to improve

connections among its communities.

ARC Chief of

Transportation Planning Jane Hayse outlined the Aspirations Plan, which

is the first of the public meetings.

Defining five

challenges, Hayse said that the region will continue to experience rapid

population and employment growth, and that as many as six hours daily

occur at congested traffic areas.

$40 billion

has already been spent on transportation problems and serious roadway

congestion is still forecast.

A plan has

been drawn to distribute traffic on a grid system of east-west and north-south

multi-lane roadways. Fayette County would see Ga. Highway 54 four-laned

from border to border as part of the grid system.

The limited

transit options for most citizens could be met with innovative services

such as bus rapid transit used on present systems as well as new dedicated

systems.

While no bus

systems are planned for the present in Fayette, planners do show an express

route with stops in Fayetteville and Peachtree City that would run to

the airport in the next few years.

Hayse also

said that a new HOV goal would be to develop a regional HOV network supporting

expanded regional transit services.

It was also

recommended that a barrier separate the lane from the general purpose

lanes, and the development of high quality access to this system at selected

locations around the region.

ARC Coordinator,

Transportation Public Involvement Judith Dovers led a discussion of the

20 Fayette Countians in attendance. Their questions and suggested solutions

were all recorded. A compilation of the 12 counties will be made and in

October ARC representatives will again visit each one, with a list of

positive plans.

At that time,

a suggested sum of money will be attached to each plan. Each county will

then have an opportunity to select those they feel are pertinent to their

area.

To view related

maps or for more information: www.atlantaregional.com/transportationair/2030rtp.html.