A 10-year journey into Georgia’s future began today at the State Capital as Gov. Nathan Deal unveiled a comprehensive infrastructure maintenance plan that he says will “fulfill a promise made to Georgians last year.”
“One year ago, I stood before the General Assembly and urged members to prioritize Georgia’s transportation needs,” said Deal, who was surrounded by elected officials and Georgia Department of Transportation representatives. “In order to maintain our roads and bridges, improve congestion and accommodate the movement of freight traffic, we could no longer afford to kick the can down the road. Legislators on both sides of the aisle took action, working together to pass legislation addressing these critical needs. Today, we are delivering on our promise.”
The improvements, Deal said, are possible because of the passage of HB 120, the Transportation Funding Act of 2015 — a plan designed to raise $1 billion per year to spend on highway construction and repairs.
His announcement came only hours after he addressed industry and community leaders at the Georgia Chamber’s annual Eggs and Issues event. It included an 18-month project list representing a $2.2 billion investment, and a 10-year list which represents more than $10 billion in investment.
“These improvements will keep our children safe on the roads, and allow all our workers to arrive home quicker and safer,” said Deal. “We are making Georgia a better place to call home.”
Deal stated that for every dollar invested Georgians will see four dollars in return. Over the next 18 months, nearly 60 percent of the projects will be for maintenance of roads and bridges. This includes maintenance on nearly 2,500 miles of roads, replaces over 100 bridges, and provides major repairs and upgrades to more than 300 bridges.
Officials said they planned to leverage the recent successes of the innovative Design Build and Finance method on the I-285/400 project and Northwest Corridor project as a blueprint for other projects such as the construction of express lanes on I-285 from I-20 to I-20 on the northern loop; express lanes on 400 into Forsyth County, interchange reconstruction at I-285 and I-20 on the East and West wall of 285; interchange reconstruction at I-95 and I-16; additional lanes on I-85 north into Jackson County; and widening and adding lanes on I-16 from I-95 to 516.
Officials also said this new plan shows a commitment to local communities and officials, who should see a 30 percent increase in 2017 in state investments to local governments to use on city streets and roads.
The legislation took effect July 1, 2015, are already showing in gas tax collections.
The Governor was joined by Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, House Speaker David Ralston, GDOT Planning Director Jay Roberts and members of the State Transportation Board.
To learn more about Georgia’s transportation projects, visit, www.Garoads.org
