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I'm thinking a TSPLOST will be coming next year to get some of these projects done...
Quote:
he most expensive project is the much-anticipated interstate interchange overhaul. From the “first shovel to ribbon cutting,” it’s estimated to cost more than $250 million. Once completed, it will make it safer traveling along the north and southbound lanes, said Mike Greenwald, planning director for the Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning Commission.
The first phase of the interstate improvements involves widening I-16 from I-75 to Coliseum Drive from four to six lanes. The next two phases stretch from I-75 around Hardeman Avenue to the I-16 interchange, and reconstruction of the interchange.
There’s also $12 million budgeted for improvements to the Pleasant Hill neighborhood as part of the interstate interchange project. About two dozen homes, including “Little Richard” Penniman’s childhood residence, will be moved to new lots. The Georgia Department of Transportation also will pay for streetscape upgrades, build new parks and remodel some homes.
There will be some headaches while the interstate construction is going on, but the finished product will be worth it, Macon-Bibb County spokesman Chris Floore said.
“We’re very excited. From the mitigation of Pleasant Hill to the interchange improvements, ... it’s moving forward beyond the engineering” designs, he said. “We’re going to see contracts (awarded) soon on the first phase of I-75.”
Much of the construction on the list of 53 projects would take place in Bibb County while Jones, Monroe and Crawford counties would also have some work. Changes were made recently by the Macon Area Transportation Study Policy Committee on the list that prioritizes the estimated $882 million in projects through 2040.
The bulk of the funding will be federal, while state and local governments provide a match.
The Georgia Department of Transportation will review the updated list to make sure there aren’t any significant issues. The DOT projects are part of the Long Range Transportation Plan for the Macon metropolitan area.
“They will mostly leave it up to us as far as prioritization,” said Greenwald, a Metropolitan Planning Organization technical coordinator. “The big thing is making sure we’re fiscally in balance, and we are.”
Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert is elated about the updated list, as it features many roads and bridge repairs advocated by past and current officials, Floore said.
“They’ve been talking about these projects for years,” he said. “To see them put some of our major local projects into the top 15 is huge for us.”
One project that moved up a few spots is a planned bridge along Seventh and Walnut streets. The bridge would offer trucks a new route to get to Eisenhower Parkway and avoid traveling through downtown and the museum district along Martin Luther King Boulevard and Broadway, Floore said.
Once finished, the new route would allow the county to examine implementing traffic calming measures along the street, Floore said.
“It will allow us to make a more walkable, pedestrian friendly, slower traffic road through downtown,” he said.
Outside of Macon-Bibb, the largest Jones County project would be widening a stretch of Henderson Road to four lanes. The project has an early estimated cost of $37 million.
Will the citizens of Bibb, Monroe, Jones, and Crawford counties approve this TSPLOST in the upcoming year or two? This has to be a transportation special local option sale tax or TSPLOST that will be put on the ballot for voters to approve, because half of the $882 million dollars will come from federal funds the other half will have to be matched by local and state. It probably will get passed, because the first time that the state of Georgia tried a TSPLOST referendum in 2012; out of the 12 regions only three passed. They were the Columbus area region, Augusta area region, and us the middle Georgia region.
Last edited by the tiger; 11-11-2016 at 08:59 PM..
On November the 8th of this year Atlanta-Fulton county and DeKalb county voted and approve their TSPLOST. Last time the TSPLOST referendum came up for voters was in 2012, and it consisted of twelve regions throughout the state of Georgia. Out of the twelve regions nine of them shut the TSPLOST down with a majority of no votes. The only three that passed were in middle Georgia. They were the Columbus area region, the Augusta area region, and the Macon area region. Many counties have showed there disinterest in the TSPLOST. In the Atlanta area region Cobb and Gwinnett counties wanted nothing to do with any upcoming metro Atlanta area TSPLOST. In the Macon area region Houston, Pulaski, Wilcox express that they do not want to be involved in any upcoming TSPLOST referendum. The new TSPLOST that the Atlanta area region just approved is supposed to generate $300 million dollars over a five year period. Also the city of Atlanta just approved a MARTA tax on November the 8th, which will be 2.5 billion collected over forty years. In other news L.A. and Los Angeles county just approved Measure M which is for transportation projects. Two dozens highway and transit rail projects to be exact. Measure M is an half a penny sale tax that will turn into a whole penny sale tax in the year 2039, when the thirty year Measure R sale tax expires. Measure M is the most massive transportation sale tax in the country. It is suppose to accumulate $120 billion dollars over a forty year time span.
With the extension of Sardis Church Road to Sgoda Road corridor going to I 75 running also all the way to the Middle Georgia Regional airport concept and design already being paid for. The overpass and tunnel to the airport which would cost $6 million dollars is being paid for by a portion of the runway extension that is to be put on the new $280 million dollar splost that is supposed to start collecting in April 2018. The 7th Street truck route which would be a bridge from lower Walnut Street to Eisenhower Parkway will be designed to keep big rigs off of the Martin Luther King Jr. boulevard artery through downtown Macon. From the looks of it Macon-Bibb is set to receive more roundabouts as far as these transportation plans show. Really think that the Middle Georgia Regional airport is going to become a freight handler when this is all said and done. http://www.mats2040.org/wp-content/u...ntsv2-Copy.pdf
Last edited by the tiger; 12-10-2016 at 12:24 AM..
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