Atlanta commission poised to approve plan amendment for $265M in federal money

(The Center Square) — The Atlanta Regional Commission’s board and Transportation & Air Quality Committee are expected to approve changes to an amended Transportation Improvement Program on Aug. 28.

The amendment includes roughly $265.3 million in federal money, including $38.2 million in earmarks and $221.6 million in "discretionary grant funding."

The projects include the Stitch, a plan to build a four-acre park over Interstates 75 and 85 — colloquially called the Downtown Connector — in downtown Atlanta. In May, the feds announced a $157.6 million Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant to jumpstart the first phase of the Stitch’s construction.

Other projects include $65 million from the federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program for the Flint River Gateway Trails. The money will help build three trail segments and plan nine other sections of the 31-mile multi-use trail network expected to connect with the Atlanta BeltLine.

Another $2 million has been allocated for electric vehicle infrastructure along Interstate 575 in northern Cherokee County and Interstate 85 in Coweta County, while $2.55 million aims to improve Gwinnett County transit routes, including in the Suwanee area and with Georgia Gwinnett College. Henry County plans to use a $600,000 Federal Highway Administration grant to enhance roadway operations and reduce vehicle response times.

Separately, the ARC is soliciting input for an update to its regional public participation plan, the first since 2019. The plan aims to ensure that the agency’s transportation approach meets the region’s needs and changing population.

"We need robust public engagement to develop transportation plans that truly meet the needs of the entire Atlanta region," ARC Executive Director & CEO Anna Roach said in a statement. "That’s why updating our public participation plan is so important."