Transportation lists finalized for March ballot (Atlanta, Milledgeville: sales, 2013, construction)

[Airforceguy]

The new TSPLOST will go to voters on March 24, 2020. In all roughly $1 billion will be raised for transportation projects in the CSRA. Some of the highlights include the widening of Hardy McManus and Hereford Farm Roads in Columbia County, an I-20 frontage road in McDuffie, improvements to 15th St, Barton Chapel, Broad St, Monte Sano, Richmond Hill, Highland Ave, Milledgeville Rd, Tobacco Rd and the 13th st Bridge.

With a few final tweaks-- including moving a $13 million rail spur ahead -- area officials Monday completed their project lists for the next 10-year Transportation Investment Act sales tax, which is set to go on the March 24 ballot.

The Regional Transportation Roundtable representing the 13-county CSRA Region approved the changes in Thomson, and the lists now go to county board of elections offices to place on the March Presidential Preference Primary ballot.

The 1.3-mile rail spur connecting Augusta Corporate Park with the Norfolk Southern line had been a “Band 2” project with construction expected to begin in 2026, but the committee Monday moved it to Band 1, which will begin in 2023 if voters OK the tax.

Officials cited economic development as they moved the project up on the list. Augusta Economic Development Authority has promised up to $1.15 billion in private investment and 1,200 or more new jobs if the spur is built.

https://www.augustachronicle.com/new...r-march-ballot

[cst8670]

Whatever happened to improving the exit to Harlem and Appling? I thought they said that was supposed to start in 2020 or have they pushed it back another 2+ years while they keep allowing unrestricted development to occur for an area without the infrastructure to support it?

[Airforceguy]

Originally Posted by cst8670

Whatever happened to improving the exit to Harlem and Appling? I thought they said that was supposed to start in 2020 or have they pushed it back another 2+ years while they keep allowing unrestricted development to occur for an area without the infrastructure to support it?

That project is part of the current TSPLOST (2013-2022) and will go out to bid in March. This TSPLOST is entirely new and will go before voters in March and will start in January 2023 when the current TSPLOST ends. If approved by voters it will run until December 2032.

[AUGnative]

Vote No to Tsplosh

[cst8670]

Originally Posted by AUGnative

Vote No to Tsplosh

I guess its a good thing that this is about TSPLOST then :P LOL
All joking aside why exactly should people not support something that will go to helping pay for vital infrastructure that needs to be done?

[AUGnative]

Because the way Tsplost is engineered it actually takes money away from Columbia and Richmond Counties. The ANGC gets to front load projects like Berkmans Rd realignment while other more necessary projects get pushed to the back burner. Area residents already pay gas taxes for roads.. Tsplost just gives Atlanta an excuse to hold back regular road funding. The Atlanta region did not pass Tsplost yet their road projects are still getting built. I would favor a regular county Splost to be used for county road improvement s

[JayHey]

There are definitely legit criticisms to make against TSPLOSTs, but the good still outweighs the bad. It is a way for the state government to avoid more budget money for transpo and it is a regressive tax, but it addresses projects which otherwise wouldn't happen or be time tabled out many years. The state spends a significantly less percentage of its budget on transportation than most of our neighboring states, unless the political will or makeup of the state government changes significantly, regional TSPLOSTs is the best available option Georgia counties have.

Originally Posted by AUGnative

Because the way Tsplost is engineered it actually takes money away from Columbia and Richmond Counties.

At first look it may appear to take money out of a county and put it elsewhere, but keep in mind that each county in a region is tied together economically and the money is budgeted pretty fairly, ie. the more populated counties in a region (Columbia has over $40 million in improvements) receive a far greater amount of money than sparsely populated counties (Talifero has has around $500k).

Those projects for both Columbia and Talifero likely wouldn't have happened yet without TSPLOST, or if they were approved, other projects which have also been completed with the regular county/GDOT process would not have happened yet.

Originally Posted by AUGnative

The ANGC gets to front load projects like Berkmans Rd realignment while other more necessary projects get pushed to the back burner. Area residents already pay gas taxes for roads.

The RC is mandated to pick projects which otherwise wouldn't be addressed through regular county transportation initiatives. The state fuel excise tax on its own is not nearly enough to fund roadway projects by itself.

Originally Posted by AUGnative

The Atlanta region did not pass Tsplost yet their road projects are still getting built. I would favor a regular county Splost to be used for county road improvement s

And they are paying for it, by having to commit 30% to projects as opposed to TSPLOST counties having to commit to 10% to transportation projects. Some of the Atlanta region counties can handle that extra cost, others are falling further behind on badly needed maintenance projects.

Originally Posted by AUGnative

I would favor a regular county Splost to be used for county road improvement s

It's a good second option if a regional TSPLOST failed, but it's markedly a second-best option for most counties in a budget sense and always in a greater regional sense. In the case of Talifero County, it probably would never be able to complete its TIA project without the $500k from TSPLOST. Plus, if Columbia County passed it and Richmond County didn't, there's a case to be made that would drive business into Richmond County - a regional tax helps keep things on an even level field while ensuring improvements are happening.