20% of new SPLOST would go toward transportation

While the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax up for voters’ consideration Nov. 3 is not focused exclusively on transportation, such projects encompass more than $27 million of the anticipated $135 million the tax would raise.

Among the transportation projects are $8.7 million for road, street and bridge improvements for safety and efficiency on arterial and collector roads including New Hope, Lee’s Mill, Tyrone, Sandy Creek, Hood and Westbridge roads.

Among those potential improvements for those roads are additional center turn lanes and right turn deceleration lanes, increasing sight distance at intersections and vertical curves, shoulder widening, guardrail installation in areas of significant drop-off, horizontal and vertical curve adjustments and shoulder paving for bicyclist use.

Another $7.8 million would be spent for intersection improvements for safety and efficiency at:
• Ellison Road and Jenkins Road.
• Dogwood Trail and Tyrone Road
• Peters Road at Ga. Highway 92
• Goza Road and Old Greenville Road
• Ebenezer Road and Spear Road
• Redwine Road at Birkdale and Quarters Road
• Flat Creek and Tyrone Road
• Ellison Road and Tyrone Road.

Among the potential intersection improvements are realignment of approach roads, general maintenance and improvements to existing roads. Road improvements can include milling, resurfacing, striping and minor shoulder enhancements for bicyclists.

County public works director Phil Mallon said there has been discussion about making the intersection of Redwine, Birkdale and Quarters roads a roundabout but no final decisions have been made regarding particular solutions for any given intersection.

Mallon also said that he does not anticipate having enough funding to build all the proposed road and intersection improvements.

The SPLOST language also lists $11 million on “road, street and bridge purposes with no specific project list attached. But the county has prepared a document indicating how it wants to spend that $11 million, including:
• A new road from Ga. Highway 54 to First Manassas Mile Road, $2 million;
• Road resurfacing, milling, patching and shoulder enhancement, $3.1 million;
• Paving gravel roads, $1.2 million;
• Construction, renovation and improvement of multi-use trails, $2.25 million;
• Replacement of public works heavy equipment, $1.5 million; and
• Right of way landscaping improvements at county borders, $420,000.

The proposed SPLOST includes a $55 million payoff of the county’s justice center to save $21.5 million in interest payments. Other projects for the six-year SPLOST include $3.5 million to replace county fire stations located in the cities of Fayetteville and Tyrone; $5 million for a speculative university campus and $2 million for a new emergency operations center.

If approved, the new SPLOST would begin collections in May immediately after the current county transportation SPLOST expires, meaning Fayette’s sales tax rate will remain at 7 percent.