Milton Officials Pleased With Transportation Funding Choices

In the wake of the Atlanta Regional Roundtable's work to trim transportation projects down to what could be funded by a 10-year sales tax, local officials were asked what they thought of the choices.

Milton City Manager Chris Lagerbloom and Public Works Director Carter Lucas were generally pleased with the projects that were chosen. Lucas pointed out that each city will get a percentage of the revenue as discretionary funds for its own use in transportation needs.

What does the city think about what projects were picked?

We are pleased with the projects, locally and regionally, picked for the master list, which included the $46 million GA 140 widening from Rucker Road to the Cherokee County line in the City of Milton. It was an exhaustive process involving all the public works and engineering professionals in North Fulton preparing and ranking these projects for possible inclusion in the master list, and we feel the right choices were made.  – Chris Lagerbloom

Were any projects left out that would have helped regional traffic to flow in and through Milton?

That’s a difficult question, because the projects, as they stand in the master list, work in concert to alleviate congestion and move traffic best through the major corridors in North Fulton. So while a proposed project not included might have physically been in Milton, without the subsequent regional projects to continue the flow, the results would have been greatly diminished. All the governments in North Fulton worked together to craft this list, and we all had a very realistic approach to ranking them and a pragmatic understanding of the chances of surviving the cut. So as I said before, we’re pleased. – Chris Lagerbloom

How will the projects chosen affect traffic in Milton if voters approve the sales tax referendum and the projects are built?

Certainly drivers in the Ga. 140 corridor should see improvements in their daily travels to the Ga. 400 area, which was the intended consequence of the set of projects included in the list. – Chris Lagerbloom

Additionally, one of the other components of this bill is a discretionary disbursement to communities to help fund local infrastructure projects. These funds can be used at the local government’s discretion and can be directed toward local improvements that will have an immediate impact. While the focus has been primarily on the master list approved by the regional roundtable, the discretionary funds will be a very important component for the City of Milton and will help fund needed transportation projects.  – Carter Lucas, Public Works Director