In This Edition of Transportation SpotlightPlans Milestones and Key Dates Beyond the Headlinesby Michael Wall, ARC Communications Department
More than 31,000 potential commuters applied for a ridesharing match through the Atlanta Regional Commission’s RideSmart between January and June of 2008 – a 175 percent increase over the same months of 2007. Read more… Plans Milestones and Key Dates3rd Quarter 2008 TIP Administrative Modification requests due September 5 ARC is now accepting requests for 3rd Quarter 2008 Administrative Modifications to the FY 2008-2013 TIP. The deadline for submitting requests is Friday, September 5. Administrative modifications will be processed on September 19. In accordance with the Transportation Public Participation Plan (TPPP), no formal action by any ARC committees or GRTA is required to incorporate administrative modifications into the TIP. More information... FY2008-2013 Transportation Improvement Program Amendment #3 is currently out for public review and comment through August 7, 2008 The ARC Board will take action on the amendment at the August 27 meeting and it will then be forwarded to GRTA for consideration at their September 10 Board meeting. More information... Comment and Review Period is now underway on the update to the Regional Transportation Participation Plan The official 45-day review period began on July 22, 2008 and concludes at midnight September 4, 2008. During the month of September, ARC Committees (Transportation Coordinating Committee and Transportation and Air Quality Committee) will be considering it for adoption by the ARC Board on September 24, 2008. View Draft Plan. To submit comments, email ARC at transportation@atlantaregional.com 2008 Transportation Fact Book is released The Fact Book presents a summary of the most current data for the transportation system in the Atlanta region. The Fact Book provides information about the existing regional transportation infrastructure and travel patterns as well as other transportation related issues. The purpose of the Fact Book is to provide the public with a quick and easy reference guide on the performance of the metro area’s transportation system. The 2008 Transportation Fact Book is the 10th edition and is available in printed form, or you can download the report. As to any inquiries about the Fact Book, please contact Talya Trudell at 404-463-3277 or ttrudell@atlantaregional.com. Study UpdatesHuman Services Transportation - JARC and New Freedom FY 2008 Project Call The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transportation Authority (MARTA) are joint designated recipients for the Federal Transit Administration Section 5316 Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and Section 5317 New Freedom Programs for the Atlanta Urbanized Area. As joint designated recipients ARC and MARTA are responsible for conducting the competitive selection process for JARC and New Freedom projects in the Atlanta Urbanized Area. The Safe, Affordable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU), is the current Federal legislation which authorizes funding for transportation and requires that projects funded from the Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310), Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC, Section 5316), and New Freedom (Section 5317) programs be derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan (“coordinated plan”). In February 2007, the Atlanta Regional Commission adopted an interim Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan for the region. This plan establishes HST coordination goals and objectives for the region. On August 14, the ARC and MARTA will be jointly seeking eligible projects for Fiscal Year 2008 JARC and New Freedom program funds. The funding allocation for the 18-county Atlanta region for Fiscal Year 2008 is as follows: JARC = $ 1,533,655 and New Freedom = $ 960,308. For more information contact Kenyata Smiley at (404) 463-3275 or by email ksmiley@atlantaregional.com. ARC selected Jacobs Carter Burgess to perform travel data collection and management for the 2008 contract Travel data collection will primarily consist of GPS travel surveys (speed and time) at select locations throughout the regions. The selected corridors will be prioritized based on programmed improvements. The management component of the contract will consist of investigating and recommending the most efficient framework for storing the travel time data, as well as other data types such as turning movement counts and link-volume counts. Work is expected to begin August 2008, and completed by December 2008. For additional information, contact Kofi Wakhisi at kwakhisi@atlantaregional.com or (404) 463-3345. GDOT project prioritization work heads into the home stretch The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and their consultant, Cambridge Systematics, are on schedule to finalize an objective project scoring methodology and tool this fall. The results of this effort will then be used as input to the regional planning process, where additional factors such as local quality of life goals, environmental justice, and geographic and modal equity must be considered in making final project decisions. ARC has been heavily involved throughout the process to ensure that the methodology and results are supportive of and complementary to regional policies. A work session was held with Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC) members and attendees on July 18 to receive input on the process and how the results should be used. Read a summary of that discussion here. State working on Comprehensive Transportation Strategy The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) recently contracted with McKinsey & Company to develop a strategy and business case for transportation investment at the statewide level. The firm is working closely with the Office of the Governor and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) in this effort and has met several times with ARC staff to gain a firm understanding of the region’s issues. The first phase, scheduled to be completed by the end of year, will focus on high level goals and options for improving mobility between all parts of the state and through major urban areas. It will not result in recommendations on specific local and regional projects. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting initiative in future editions of Transportation Spotlight. Other News of NotePublic Involvement Advisory Group Talk Coming Up! Come hear K. Lynn Berry talk about public engagement in Context Sensitive Solutions around the nation on August 21st from 10:30 am to 12 pm at the Atlanta Regional Commission in the Executive Conference Room, “C” Level. More information... Check the new Transportation Research Board Public Involvement Committee website www.trbpi.com - This committee is composed of public engagement professionals across the US and the world. It has recently been revamped and in the coming months will feature good resource material for the practitioner. Check back often. ARC sponsoring Designing Streets for Pedestrian Safety Workshop On August 11 & 12, ARC will bring a national training on Designing Streets for Pedestrian Safety, developed by the Federal Highway Administration, to the Atlanta region. The workshop will provide planners, engineers, elected officials and interested stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of community design and engineering measures that impact pedestrian safety and will be taught by two nationally renowned pedestrian design experts. Both an in-classroom instruction and a site visit to the Roswell Road corridor in the City of Sandy Springs will be included. In December 2007, GDOT and ARC co-hosted the same workshop at locations in Clayton and Gwinnett Counties. Mark your calendar for September 9 LCI Workshop ARC committed $500 million to Fund Transportation Projects that are identified in LCI studies. To date over 80 LCI transportation projects have been selected using $131 million dollars of the allotted $500 million. These projects are in various stages of development with several completed and many more authorized for construction. As of July, ARC staff is now taking a larger role in the LCI transportation project management process. ARC will work closely with the local project sponsors and GDOT to oversee the projects, provide guidance and help usher these projects through the PDP process. To discuss these roles in more detail, along with the project selection process and other project management issues, an LCI Transportation Workshop will be held on Tuesday, September 9 at ARC. For more information, contact Haley Fleming at hfleming@atlantaregional.com. ARC hosting a Freight/Land Use Peer Exchange August 20-21 This two-day exchange will include presentations and panel discussions from peer regions, private sector representatives, local planning partners and FHWA, as well as field trips within the Atlanta region. MPO participants, besides Atlanta, will include Dallas, Kansas City, Memphis, Orlando, and New Jersey.
The key outcome of the Peer Exchange will be a high-level summary report of the proceedings of the Peer Exchange highlighting best practices and lessons learned. Findings will be presented to the ARC technical and policy boards. Expected results will be improved freight planning processes. For more information, please contact Caroline Mays at cmays@atlantaregional.com or 404-463-3285. RideSmart to launch Bike Buddy Pilot Program In response to high gas prices and increased demand for additional commute alternatives, ARC’s RideSmart and Transportation Planning Division have partnered to develop a pilot program to assist in matching bicycle commuters with one another. The goal of the Bike Buddy program is to encourage more residents of the Atlanta region to try bicycle commuting, to take the mystery out of commuter cycling, and to ultimately increase the number of trip made by bicycle. The pilot program will target the Emory University area and Clifton Road corridor in DeKalb County. Program partners include the Clifton Corridor TMA, Bike Emory, and the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign. The pilot program is intended to last a year, with a region-wide program to follow. More information... Update on DRIs in the Atlanta region Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) are large-scale developments that are likely to have regional effects beyond the local government jurisdiction in which they are located. This review is intended to improve communication among governments and to provide a means of identifying and assessing potential impacts before conflicts relating to them arise. Since April 1st 2008 ARC has found the following DRIs to be in the best interest of the region and therefore the state: Asbury Park, CMT Travel Plaza, Fairburn Storage Facility, Hapeville Ford Plant Redevelopment, SANY America, and Village at Redwine. The following reviews have been open since April 1st and are still pending: Hammond Center, Locust Grove Retail, and Symphony Park. For more information visit our Web site or contact Michael Kray at 404.463.3306. ARC has launched a “Framing the Future” region-wide Photography Contest open to all metro region residents The goal is to foster a visual exploration about what is valued about metro Atlanta now and what it could and should be in 50 years. This initiative is in conjunction with the Fifty Forward visioning effort currently underway by ARC. Visit the Atlanta Fifty Forward Web site for more information. Local InterestsConstruction to Begin on New Acworth Park & Ride in Cobb County For Cobb Community Transit (CCT) Route 102 and Route 480 riders, CCT is pleased to announce that this summer construction will begin for the new Acworth Park and Ride lot (6045 Lake Acworth Dr. - SR92). The construction will include expanded parking, improved lighting, and the addition of a new passenger waiting area. When completed in early 2009, the lot will expand parking from the current 274 spaces to 496 spaces. To minimize the impact on passengers during construction, CCT will utilize a three phase construction plan with the lot remaining open during construction:
If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact: Rebecca Gutowsky, CCT Division Manager, at 770-528-1610 or rebecca.gutowsky@cobbcounty.org. Or call CCT customer service at 770-427-4444 and check the website at www.cobbcct.org. Project updates will be provided as new information becomes available. |
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