The Atlanta Regional Commission board on Wednesday passed a $59 billion long-range transportation plan that maintains existing infrastructure in the region while adding some congestion relief.
The plan takes into account the expected transportation spending in the 18-county metro Atlanta region through the year 2040. It now goes to the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) for approval, which will likely occur sometime in April, before proceeding to the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration for federal approval.
More than 70 percent of the funding in the plan is needed to maintain existing roads, bridges and transit systems, leaving only about $18 billion for expansion between now and 2040.
Regional leaders prioritized projects that will unclog the major bottleneck points, ease congestion on heavily traveled arterial roads and add tolled express lanes to interstates for commuters who are willing to pay for a speedier trip. There is also a $1.4 billion list of pedestrian and bicycle improvements aimed at making it easier for people to get around without a car.
About $12 million was set aside the new Atlanta Streetcar, which is scheduled to begin operating mid-summer. That will cover about 80 percent of the first three years of operating costs.
The region’s long-term transportation plan is updated every few years in response to updated population and employment forecasts and changing local priorities that cause projects to be delayed or fast-tracked. It was last updated in 2011. And it will have to be updated again in 2016.
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