FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 31, 2018
Report available at: tripnet.org 

Contact:
Carolyn Bonifas Kelly 703.801.9212 (cell)
Rocky Moretti 202.262.0714 (cell)
TRIP office 202.466.6706

GEORGIA’S 2015 TRANSPORTATION FUNDING INCREASE ALLOWED FOR IMPROVED ROAD & BRIDGE CONDITIONS, ENHANCED MOBILITY & ACCELERATED PROJECT DELIVERY. ADDITIONAL FUNDS STILL NEEDED TO ADDRESS GROWING TRAFFIC CONGESTION, ACCOMMODATE GROWTH AND IMPROVE SAFETY

Atlanta, GA– The 2015 passage of Georgia’s Transportation Funding Act (TFA) allowed the state to address many of its transportation challenges by investing in road, highway and bridge repairs, roadway safety improvements, and congestion relief. Despite this progress, the state will still need additional increases in reliable transportation funding to maintain its aging transportation system,  improve traffic safety and serve the future needs of Georgia’s growing economy, according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, DC based national transportation organization.

The TRIP report, Modernizing Georgia’s Transportation System: Progress & Challenges in Providing Safe, Efficient and Well-Maintained Roads, Highways & Bridges,” examines the impact of additional funds provided by passage of the TFA – a total of $5.4 billion from 2016 to 2021- and includes lists of projects throughout the state that will be completed or underway by 2021 partially as a result of increased transportation funding. The report also lists needed projects throughout the state that still lack sufficient funding to proceed prior to 2022. The chart below details projects outside the state’s largest urban areas that will be completed or underway by 2021 as a result of increased funding, and needed transportation projects outside the state’s largest urban areas that still lack sufficient funding to proceed.

Projects Outside Georgia’s Largest Urban Areas Underway By 2021 As A Result Of Increased Transportation Funding

  Project Description County/Counties Improvement Year Cost Benefit Of Project
McCaysville Bypass From SR 5 to TN State Line Fannin New Location Roadway 2020 $31.3 Million Congestion relief; Economic Development
SR 5-SR 2/Blue Ridge N to Prop McCaysville Bypass NR CR 138 Fannin Widening 2020 $61 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
SR 133 - S of SR 35/US 319 to N of CR 540 Holly Dr Colquitt, Worth Widening 2019-2020 $185.7 Million Economic Development; Freight Corridor
SR 24/US 441 - Putnam County Line to North of CS 646/Pierce Dairy Rd Morgan Widening 2021 $32.6 Million Economic development; Freight Corridor
SR 4/US 1 North of Williams CK to Green Oak Rd Toombs Widening 2020-2021 $145.4 Million Economic developement; Freight corridor
SE Rome Bypass - SR 101 NE on New Loc to US 411 Floyd Roadway Project 2019 $61.9 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
Effingham Parkway - CR 156/Blue Jay/Effingham to SR 30/Chatham Effingham New Location Roadway 2020 $29.4 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
SR 4/US 1 North of Nimrod Rd to Louisville Bypass Jefferson Widening 2021 $31.1 Million Economic development
Spout Springs Rd - I-985 to Union Circle - Phase 1 Hall Widening 2019 $39.5 Million Congestion relief
CR 274/CS 1078/Lake Park Bellville Rd - SR 7 to I-75 Lowndes widening 20121 $32.3 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
SR 515/US 76 FM Young Harris St/Union to Timberline Dr/Towns Towns, Union Widening 2020 $65.5 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
SR 67 FM I-16 to Statesboro Bypass Bulloch Widening 2019 $24.2 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
SR 1/US 27/Larange FM Auburn St to SR 219/Morgan St Troup Widening 2019 $10.9 Million Congestion Relief

Projects Outside Georgia’s Largest Urban Areas That Lack Funding To Proceed Prior To 2022

  Project Description County/Counties Improvement Cost Benefit of Project
I-85 N of SR 211 to SR 11/US 129 Barrow Widening $274.7 Million Congestion relief; Freight movement
SR 85 South of CR 126/Bernhard Rd to Old SR 92/F'Ville Fayette Widening $32.4 Million Congestion relief
SR 166 Bypass - East of Big Indian Creek to CS 1158/Hays Mill Rd Carroll Widening $68.6 Million Congestion relief
SR 24 FM Madison BPS/Morgan to North of Apalachee River/Oconee Morgan, Oconee Widening $48.4 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
SR 40 - East of St Marys River Trib to East of CR 66/Colerain Rd Camden, Charlton Widening $41.0 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
South Rome Bypass/US 27 - SR 1 Along Booze Mtn Rd to SR 101 @CR 96 Floyd Roadway Project $80.7 Million Congestion relief; Economic development
SR 113/Old Ala Rd Reloc FM SR 113 - Pumpkinvine Ck - To CR 699 Bartow Widening $63.6 Million Congestion relief
SR 15 - CR 67/Ridge Rd to East Sparta Bypass Hancock, Washington Widening $155.7 Million Economic development
SR 44 - CR 54/Linger Longer Rd to E Greensboro Bypass Greene Widening $51.9 Million Economic development
SR 1 - CR 329 to North of CR 325 @ SR 1/Us 27 Chattooga Widening $63.9 M Economic Development
SR 15/US 441 - North Cl/Clayton to NC State Line Rabun Widening $54.5 Million Economic Development
I-85 North of SR 11 to SC State Line Jackson Widening $1.2 Billion Congestion relief; Freight movement

“Thanks to the support of elected leaders who understand the critical role that our state’s infrastructure plays in our economy and quality of life, we are making historic levels of investment and are able to better plan for future growth,” said Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry.  “That said, additional funding is without question still necessary in order to fully meet our needs, and we are hopeful we will be able to attract federal support while identifying additional state and local resources.”

With Georgia’s population anticipated to increase by 2.5 million people by 2040 and vehicle travel in the state growing at the second highest rate nationally since 2013, the TRIP report found that traffic congestion throughout the state is worsening, causing up to 56 annual hours of delay for some drivers and costing as much as $1,226 annually per driver in lost time and wasted fuel.

“Ensuring the safety of drivers throughout our state should be at the forefront of our transportation planning process.  That includes access to public transportation, which is one of the greatest tools we have to address both congestion and safety by taking cars off the roads. The legislation passed by the General Assembly earlier this year was a tremendous step forward in addressing this need, which will only become more critical as our population continues to grow,” said Seth Millican, executive director of the Georgia Transportation Alliance.

Traffic crashes in Georgia claimed the lives of 6,876 people between 2013 and 2017. The rate of traffic fatalities in Georgia of 1.27 per 100 million miles of travel is above the national average of 1.18.  After decreasing slightly between 2013 and 2014 (from 1,179 to 1,164) the number of Georgia traffic fatalities increased by 25 percent between 2014 and 2017 (from 1,164 to 1,549).

According to the TRIP report, five percent of Georgia’s bridges are structurally deficient. Additional funding provided by the TFA has allowed GDOT to increase by three-and-a-half times the annual number of bridges it is able to repair, reconstruct or replace.  An average of 67 bridges were repaired, replaced or reconstructed each year from 2011 to 2015, while an average of 232 bridges will be repaired, replaced or reconstructed each year between 2016 and 2020.

While additional transportation funding provided by the TFA will allow GDOT to reduce the share of state-maintained roads in poor or bad condition, it is not adequate to prevent the share of state roads and highways in excellent or good condition from declining. The share of state-maintained roads in bad or poor condition is projected to fall from 13 percent in 2016 to zero by 2019, but the share of state-maintained roads in excellent or good condition is projected to decline dramatically, falling from 49 percent in 2016 to 15 percent in 2024.

The efficiency and condition of Georgia’s transportation system, particularly its highways, is critical to the health of the state’s economy.  Annually, $790 billion in goods are shipped to and from sites in Georgia, relying heavily on the state’s network of roads and bridges. Increasingly, companies are looking at the quality of a region’s transportation system when deciding where to re-locate or expand. Regions with congested or poorly maintained roads may see businesses relocate to areas with a smoother, more efficient and more modern transportation system.

“While the recent influx of funding has allowed Georgia to make strides in improving its transportation system, more work still needs to be done to accommodate and capitalize on the tremendous growth projected for the state,” said Will Wilkins, TRIP’s executive director. “Georgia will need to continue to make transportation investment a top priority.”