Metro Atlanta Takes On $173B Infrastructure Plan

METRO ATLANTA, GA — Metro Atlanta is set to undertake some massive infrastructure projects over the next 30 years. A release from the Atlanta Regional Commission Board said they approved spending $173 billion in federal, state and local funding through 2050 on transportation projects in preparation for a projected spike in population growth.

The Atlanta Region's Plan (ARC) is a long-range blueprint for bolstering the region's investment in programs and services designed for "providing world-class infrastructure, fostering healthy, livable communities, and developing a competitive economy," the release says.

The comprehensive plan, developed with "robust public input," includes initiatives to improve roadways, enhance transit options, expand the network of multi-use trails and encourage carpooling and teleworking.

"The transportation element of the Atlanta Region’s Plan is designed to accommodate significant growth that is expected to occur over the next three decades," the release says, adding that the 20 counties in the region are expected to grow significantly over the next 30 years, growing by nearly 3 million people.

Douglas County is set to receive a good bit of the funding in the next decade in order to keep up with projected population growth in the county. The forecast says Douglas will add 51,000 people by 2050, the release says, bringing the total to over 188,000.

To prepare for this, the release says, they're taking on the following projects:

• Widening Lee Road-South Sweetwater Road to four lanes with upgrades that include curb-and-gutter drainage, urban shoulders, a raised median, and a multi-use trail. Construction is set for a first phase in fiscal 2022, with a second phase to begin by 2030.
• Continued federal funding for the new Douglas County transit system, through fiscal 2021.
• Developing an extension of Chattahoochee Hill Country Regional Greenway Trail from Boundary Waters Park to Sweetwater Creek State Park, with construction set for 2024.

"The Atlanta Region’s Plan offers a balanced, strategic approach to keep our region moving forward, even as our population continues to grow," Doug Hooker, Executive Director of ARC, said in the release. "This plan will help metro Atlanta remain competitive, with a high quality of life, in the decades to come."

Below are some specific portions of the plan:

• Maintenance and safety: About $102 billion, or nearly 60% of the total, is earmarked to maintain and upgrade the infrastructure that’s already in place. Projects include resurfacing roads, repairing bridges, and replacing aging buses and rail cars.
• New transit options: $11 billion is programmed for transit expansion projects, including high capacity transit in Clayton County, expansion of the City of Atlanta’s streetcar network, and bus rapid transit lines in Atlanta and Clayton. Longer-range projects include a bus rapid transit lines in Gwinnett and Cobb counties.
• Mobility alternatives: About $10 billion is dedicated to projects and programs that reduce congestion by encouraging alternative ways of getting around the region. This includes expansion of the region’s bike-ped trails and funding forARC’s Livable Centers Initiative, which helps communities transform into more vibrant places where it’s possible to walk from home to work to the store or restaurant
• Tackling traffic bottlenecks: The Regional Transportation Plan provides about $27 billion for key interchange and highway improvements throughout metro Atlanta. Highway projects due to start construction in the next decade include Xpress lanes on the top-end Perimeter, I-285 East, and I-285 West, and reconstruction of the two interchanges where I-20 meets I-285.

See a full list of projects for the Atlanta Region's Plan.