The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has opened a public comment period for Amendment 5 to the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and the Fiscal Year 2024-2027 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The comment window is open until October 23, 2025. A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, October 8, during a joint meeting of the ARC Board and ARC’s Transportation & Air Quality Committee.
The proposed amendment includes changes to budgets, timelines, and scopes for existing projects as well as the addition of new projects. In total, 53 projects are affected by this amendment.
Among the key updates are several adjustments to project cost estimates related to Georgia Department of Transportation’s Major Mobility Investment Program. Notable changes include an additional $13.9 million in federal funds for the Top End I-285 Express Lanes between Paces Ferry Road and Henderson Mill Road, and a $235.5 million increase in federal funding for Phase 2 eastbound lanes from Northside Drive to Henderson Road. Other segments see both increases and reductions in allocated federal funds.
New projects have also been introduced with this amendment. These include a bridge upgrade at Henderson Mill Road at Bear Creek in Newton County—reflecting an expanded transportation planning boundary—and allocation of $560,000 from ARC’s Transportation Alternative Program funds for a scoping phase of the planned South Fulton Chattahoochee RiverLands Greenway trail. This multipurpose trail would span approximately 4.1 miles along the Chattahoochee River from Thornton Road to MLK Jr. Drive.
A vote on this TIP Amendment is scheduled for November 12 by the ARC Board and its Transportation & Air Quality Committee.
“ARC serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for all or parts of 19 counties in metro Atlanta and is charged with developing the short-term TIP and long-term MTP to improve mobility and provide better quality of life in the Atlanta region.”
“The Transportation Improvement Program is the mechanism by which federal, state, and local funds are approved for all significant surface transportation projects and programs in the region The TIP is updated several times throughout the year, as projects change or new funding becomes available.”
Further details about Amendment 5 and instructions on how to submit comments can be found at http://www.atlantaregional.org/amendment.
