Public Meeting to Discuss Cobb Transportation Initiatives Thursday

Cobb County residents who have thoughts on efforts to improve transportation throughout the county and its major cities are invited to attend a public forum on Thursday which will discuss the latest update to the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP).

The meeting will be held at the Cobb County Government Building at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta Square between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 4. Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting and speak their minds about the county’s plans for improving transportation in the next few years.

The CTP, which outlines a schedule of construction and investment which reaches the year 2040, will be updated every five years to reflect changes to the realities facing the county as time marches on.

According to a presentation made to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 25, the goals of the CTP are to maximize performance of the transportation system, stay ahead of the curve as Cobb County continues to develop, reduce transportation-related safety issues, and promote economic competitiveness while remaining cost-effective.

Some of the projects the plan proposes for its first five years include expanding Cobb Community Transit (CCT)‘s presence on Austell Road, and from Kennesaw and Acworth to Town Center Mall in Marietta and creating a network of trails and sidewalks that are bike and pedestrian friendly.

The presentation estimates that the first five years of the plan will cost approximately $1.2 billion, with the county chipping in $650 million, including $278 million in anticipated revenues from the recently-passed 2016 SPLOST. In the next five years of the plan, costs are estimated to reach $1.1 billion, with the county contributing $416 million to accommodate current and future growth.

The next phase of the plan looks beyond the 2020s and earmarks $3 billion for the development of transportation improvements that will face the county in the coming decades. For this portion of the plan, the county will provide $498 million.

Cobb County is expected to adopt the CTP on Jan. 13, 2015, with Cobb’s cities following suit before the end of the month.

For more information on the CTP, please visit Cobb In Motion’s website.