City launches transportation plan update initiative

The Atlanta Department of Planning and Community Development has launched an initiative to update the city’s existing Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

The initiative will also serve as a critical element of the Atlanta City Design Project, which envisions what Atlanta should look like decades from now, as well as guide future decisions on the growth and development.

“As our city continues to experience unprecedented growth, the City of Atlanta is committed to ensuring connectivity and mobility for residents and visitors,” Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement. “The new transportation plan is an essential part of making Atlanta an even more competitive city in the region, and will also create a greater quality of life for our pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. We invite all residents to help shape Atlanta’s transportation future.”

The transportation planning process seeks to be open and transparent and will include extensive community engagement. The engagement process will consist of community meetings, social media polling and pop-up events throughout the city. The Department of Planning and Community Development also created a Stakeholder Advisory Committee and is seeking local community members dedicated to advancing Atlanta as a national model for transportation.

The $300 million TSPLOST and $2.6 billion MARTA expansion plans will help leverage the work already being completed under the $250 million Renew Atlanta infrastructure bond program. As part of the program, the City of Atlanta began synchronizing traffic signals, adding new bike lanes, repaving roads, repairing bridges and establishing publicprivate partnerships to enhance the local transportation system starting in 2015. For more information and to get involved, visit atlantastransportationplan. com.