Decatur’s Planning Director Amanda Thompson just sent me a copy of the city’s “wish list” that was submitted to the Georgia Department of Transportation for consideration on GDOT’s “unconstrained list” of projects, which will then be submitted to the “Metro Atlanta Roundtable” for further refining before the total list of Atlanta projects (totaling around $8 billion) is decided on by voters in 2012.  Got it?

As pointed out by Mayor Bill Floyd, Decatur’s list is primarily pulled from unfinished projects in Decatur’s Community Transportation Plan.   The one exception is support for the creation of an Atlanta-wide “Regional Mobility Management Center”, which would coordinate transportation across the entire Atlanta metro region for seniors and disabled persons.  It is an element of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s 2008 Feasibility Study, and according to Mayor Floyd, and is “being submitted jointly by several communities around the region and is being included in the ARC list to the Planning Director.”

Now back to Decatur’s list – ordered based on how “newsy” I deemed each of these items.

1.  Decatur Transportation Management Center – The TMC would increase safety by taking control of the traffic signal system and managing traffic engineering within the city limits.  (The submission notes that in the past three city surveys, residents ranked traffic signal timing as their greatest concern.) – $10 million

2.  Scott Boulevard Safety Improvements - Safety Improvements along Scott would include medians, sidewalks, and physical and “visual delineation of pedestrian and vehicle travel space.” – $ 1 million

3.  South Columbia Drive Multi-Use Path – The proposal calls for building an 8-10′ wide multi-use path along South Columbia Drive that connects College Avenue to the city limits.  The plan would connect with DeKalb improvements on Columbia to the “Memorial Drive BRT (bus rapid transit) transit facility”.  – $2 million

4.  Downtown Decatur to Clifton Corridor Transit Connectivity and Safety Improvements – This project includes safety upgrades and bicycle, pedestrian and transit supportive facilities on Clairemont Road, Commerce Drive and Church Street “to maximize the connectivity between Downtown Decatur and the Clifton Corridor regional employment center.  Improvements include streetscaping, bicycle lanes protected transit stops and shortened pedestrian crossings. – $11 million

5.  Decatur State Highway and Regional Throughfare Safety Improvements and Transit Connectivity – Similar to item #4, but deals with South Candler Street, East and West Howard Avenue, and College Avenue connections with Atlanta, Avondale Estates and DeKalb County. – $17.2 million

Winnona Park Elementary Field, Decatur GA (pic submitted by Greg)

Daren writes in…

Looks open now, tables and umbrellas are out. Guy sweeping up tells me 3[pm].

Terry Michel wrote a similar report on Twitter.

Wow.  That was fast!

The Atlanta metro’s one-cent transportation sales tax has a VERY long way to go before it even has a chance of being put before voters for a vote in late 2012.  However, as Thomas Wheatley points out, tomorrow is the deadline for cities, counties and a certain transit authority to submit their “wish list” to the state.

Wheatley notes that Atlanta will most likely wait until the very last minute to submit their list.  However, MARTA’s already submitted their list.  According to the AJC, the list includes: a new rail line from Lindbergh Station to Emory ($685 million), an extension of the Gold Line from Doraville Station outside I-285 (Cost: $145 million), an extension of the Blue Line in both east Cost: ($522 million) and west ($582 million), and a $1 billion “mass transit lane” (bus or rail) along eastern I-20 from “central Atlanta” to Candler Road.

I’m checking with the city and Mayor Floyd (who’s one of five voting members on the transportation sales-tax exec committee) about whether Decatur has submitted a list of projects.

Until I hear back, what’s on your Atlanta transportation wish-list?