$13M in State Funding Going to Cherokee Transportation Projects

A long-planned Ball Ground bypass and improvements to the Cherokee County Regional Airport are among local projects getting state funding, in addition to widening Highway 140.

Cherokee County has received over $13 million in state funding for improvements to local transportation projects including widening Highway 140 , the Ball Ground Bypass and the Cherokee County Regional Airport.

The projects are part of a statewide $1.5 billion investment in transportation announced by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The package comes from surplus funds approved by Gov. Brian Kemp and state lawmakers earlier this year for transportation.

According to Cherokee County, the state funding will cause these projects to be “catapulted forward.”

“Cherokee County residents and commuters have been waiting for many years for improvements to the heavily traveled Highway 140, and this infusion of funding from the state for design services moves this project closer to being completed,” Cherokee County Commission Chair Harry Johnston said in a statement. “I and the Board of Commissioners appreciate the Georgia Department of (Transportation) Board, our local legislative delegation and Gov. Brian Kemp for ensuring projects in our county were included in this additional funding.”

The state funding includes $7.5 million for operational and capacity improvements to Highway 140 in North Fulton and Cherokee counties with the funding slated for preliminary engineering; about $4.4 million for right-of-way acquisition for the Ball Ground Bypass project; and $1.2 million for improvements to the Cherokee County Regional Airport.

Phil Eberly, president of Lead Edge Design, which manages the planning and engineering for the Cherokee County Regional Airport, said the announcement includes the first half of funding for a project that will repave the apron in front of the terminal building and the adjacent taxiway.

“The project increases the strength of the apron area and taxiway, improves drainage and allows for a better user experience that matches the tone of the recently completed runway widening project,” Eberly said. “It also allows us to repave the area around the hangars built in 1996 as an upgrade in usability for those tenants.”

Of the state’s $1.5 billion, $593 million was allocated for capital construction, $500 million for freight programming, $250 million for local roads, $98 million for airport aid and $50 million for capital maintenance.

“Over the last few years, we’ve welcomed unprecedented job creation to all regions of the Peach State, and this funding will ensure our already reliable infrastructure network can meet the needs of that incredible growth,” Kemp said in a statement. “I want to thank the Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, and members of the General Assembly for their support of this generational investment as we work together to keep Georgia the best state for opportunity. In the months and years ahead, hardworking Georgians will see further improvements to the roads and bridges they drive each day.”

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