Southern Regional Accessibility Study

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Study Overview

As part of Mobility 2030, the adopted Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) identified the need for a comprehensive study of the southern area of the Atlanta region. The explosive growth that is taking place in this area compels immediate action to establish a strategic, long-term vision and area-wide plan that will provide structure and order for this growth while ensuring accessibility, mobility, and quality of life.

Existing transportation and civil infrastructure is under severe strain and, unless upgraded in a significant way, will not be able to sustain the projected growth. Multiple local plans are underway to address these challenges but there is a need for more coordination and integration to minimize gaps and unintended consequences.

This is an 18-month study (commenced in December 2005), with collaboration and/or sponsorship by the following agencies:

Coordination of information and study activity will also be shared with the following planning partners:

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Study Area

Review and download a map of the Study Area by clicking here.

Components of Study

Task 1: Study Guidance and Public Involvement Plan

Task 1 involves the study initiation and guidance development including the initial detailed Project Management Plan, and the Community and Stakeholder Outreach Plan. The Community and Stakeholder Outreach Plan will be targeted to seek input at key milestones during the planning process and establish a stakeholder contact database for use throughout the study. A steering committee and a technical advisory committee will be constituted to provide guidance on important items and to provide input on technical activities occurring during the conduct of the study. This task will also involve the use of various outreach tools including the project website, project branding, stakeholder interviews, media strategy, speaker’s bureau, public meetings, and collateral materials such as newsletters, fact sheets and exhibits.

Task 2: Data Collection and Inventory of Existing Conditions

In Task 2, there will be a focused data collection effort to inventory existing and future conditions. This effort will gather relevant existing databases and will build on previous and ongoing studies in the study area. Emphasis will be placed on determining the applicability of previous studies through the comparison of data formats and timeliness of conclusions. An overall geo-database design will be established for GIS analyses. Transportation travel demand model datasets, major travel corridor evaluations, area-wide growth forecasts, and a series of composite land use maps will be developed. The primary product for this task will be Inventory of Existing/Future Conditions Report.

Task 3: Needs Assessment

Task 3 will use the inventory report developed in Task 2 to craft and define needs for the study area. At a minimum, the needs for congestion-relief, operation and management, maintenance of facilities, safety, transit, land use policy, and other key issues unique to the study area will be identified. The needs assessment must also consider the capacity of the study area to support all travel modes.

Task 4: Development of Goals and Objectives

The Needs Assessment report will in turn be used to develop goals and objectives for the study area. The goals and objectives will establish the framework for identifying performance measures and metrics to evaluate alternative strategies to be developed in Task 5. Measures will correspond to the goals and objectives and may include quality of life, market responsiveness, cost-effectiveness, mobility improvement, environmental benefit, and land use strategies and future patterns.

Task 5: Alternative Strategies

To address these goals and objectives a minimum of two proposed scenarios will be developed and tested using various metrics developed in Task 4 to evaluate how well they satisfy the established goals and objectives. The task will identify alternative scenarios considering both traditional and innovative systems and strategies to include combinations of multimodal transportation improvements, land use strategies, and suggested policy initiatives.

Task 6: Interim Recommendations

Based on the evaluation of scenarios in Task 5, interim recommendations will be developed and presented to various stakeholders for review and comment. Interim recommendations will include projects and strategies developed in sufficient detail, including project scope and cost, to be considered as part of the update of ARC’s financially unconstrained aspirations plan (by October 2006).

Task 7: Final Recommendations and Report

Final recommendations shall be documented in a detailed study area plan. The ability of the recommendations to meet study goals, objectives, and needs will be documented. Multimodal transportation recommendations as well as land use strategies that are cost-effective and that preserve the intended functionality of significant corridors through the 2030 horizon will be the final product of the study.

Major Stakeholder Participants

The Southern Regional Accessibility Study includes a variety of jurisdictions, organizations, and agencies are crucial participants in the study - some are listed below in alphabetical order. A number of public outreach techniques and methods will be used during the study to ensure the broadest level of participation and input from the community. A stakeholder advisory group and a leadership group have been developed to provide ongoing study guidance and input. Ad hoc meeting groups and focus groups will also be used to reach out to the community.

Chattahoochee-Flint RDC	Coweta County
City of College Park	Fayette County
City of Fairburn	Fulton County
City of Fayetteville	GDOT
City of Forest Park	GA House Dist. 65, 70, and 71
City of Grantville	GA Senate Dist. 28 and 35
City of Griffin	Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int'l Airport
City of Jonesboro	Henry County
City of Lake City	McIntosh Trail RDC
City of Locust Grove	NAACP
City of Lovejoy	Spalding County
City of McDonough	Town of Brooks
City of Morrow	Town of Hampton
City of Newnan	Town of Haralson
City of Palmetto	Town of Moreland
City of Peachtree City	Town of Sharpsburg
City of Senoia	Town of Turin
City of Stockbridge	Town of Tyrone
City of Union City	Town of Woolsey
Clayton County

Study Team

The study team is led by JJ&G Corporation and supported by Kimley-Horn and Associates, CRA International, PEQ, DW and Associates, SYSTRA Consulting, Boston Research Group, and Advanced Planning Technologies.