Voters approve regional transportation tax. What does Columbus get out of it?
Voters in the 16-county River Valley Region approved a 1% regional sales tax to fund transportation projects with nearly 56% of the vote, unofficial election data shows.
The newly approved TSPLOST (transportation special-purpose local-option sales tax) will replace another that expires at year’s end. In Columbus, the measure won approval, 15,342 votes to 14,671. Harris County was the only one in the region to vote against the tax. No county can opt-out of the tax.
The new tax is expected to generate $665 million over 10 years. Of that, 75% is dedicated to the regional project list (The budget for the regional project list is $400 million to account for inflation). The other 25% can be spent however the county chooses on other transportation needs
Columbus is expected to receive $303.2 million in projects and another $36.5 million in discretionary funds. The city’s sales tax rate will remain at 9%. That’s the highest in Georgia, but lower than surrounding areas like Phenix City.
“Thanks to the entire Columbus region for passing the TSPLOST. It shows our joint and ongoing commitment to strengthening our economic competitiveness through infrastructure investments,” said Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce President Jerald Mitchell.
What does Columbus get?
Columbus’ project list is as follows:
- Riverwalk repaving: $12.5M. Resurface parts of the Columbus Riverwalk from the Trade Center to Oxbow and from City Mills to North Highland Dam.
- Steam Mill Road improvements: $22.5M. From Buena Vista Road to the end of the road, widen from two to three lanes with sidewalks, multi-use trail, streetscapes and a pedestrian bridge across I-185.
- Whitesville Road widening: $12.8M. From Whittlesey Road to Williams Road, widen from two to three lanes. The project also includes intersection improvements or roundabouts with sidewalks and multi-use trail.
- Buena Vista Road corridor improvements: $10.7M. Making road from Wynnton Road to Illges Road three lanes (widening from 2 and 4 lanes). Improvements include sidewalks and multi-use trail.
- South Lumpkin Road improvements: $10.1M. From Victory Drive to Roundabout, the project will include sidewalks and a multi-use trail.
- University Avenue lane reduction/streetscapes: $6M. From Manchester Expressway to Macon Road. Reduce roadway from four lanes to two lanes with Pedestrian / Bicycle Facilities.
- 13th Avenue / 17th Street /Linwood Boulevard: $6.65M. Install roundabout.
- Liberty Theater Block Enhancement (8th Ave.): $4M. Streetscape enhancement along 8th Avenue and 7th Avenue from 8th Street to 9th Street.
- 5th Avenue connector: $690,000. Construct .5 miles of multi-use path from 14th Street to 10th Street
- Andrews Road improvements: $6.8M. On Andrews Road from Buena Vista Road to Cusseta Road, widen from 2 to 3 lanes with sidewalks, multi-use trail and landscaping.
- Brennan Road improvements: $9.2M. From Buena Vista Road to Cusseta Road, widening from 2 to 3 lanes with sidewalks, multi-use trail and streetscapes.
- Second Avenue improvements: $18.2M. From Manchester Expressway to Talbotton Road / 19th Street. Project to include multi-use trails, sidewalks and landscaping.
- JR Allen at Schomburg and Blackmon: $11.3M. Schomburg Road / JR Allen Ramp Improvements: Eastbound and Westbound ramps. Schomburg Road - Blackmon Road Connector (Eastbound): Convert the intersection to a 2-lane roundabout. JR Allen / US 80 / Blackmon Road: Convert the intersection of Blackmon Road and the US 80 Westbound on-ramp to a two-lane roundabout.
- Forrest Road widening: $15.4M. Widen Forrest Road from Macon Road to Woodruff Farm Road from 2 to 3 lanes with a roundabout at Trinity Drive and Forrest Road. This project will include sidewalks and multi-use trail.
- Morris Road improvements: $12M. On Morris Road from Buena Vista Road to Forrest Road, widen from 2 to 3 lanes with sidewalks, multi-use trail and landscaping.
- Cusseta Road widening: $17.6M. Widen from 2 lanes to 3 lanes with roundabouts. Stretches include 10th Avenue to N. Lumpkin Road, North Lumpkin at 23rd, and Brown at Andrews Road. Project to include sidewalks and a multi-use trail.
- Williams Road widening: $18.7M. On Williams Road from SR1/US 27 (Veteran’s Parkway) to I-185, widen from 2 to 3 lanes. Install roundabout at Williams Road and I-185 and Fortson Road. Areas will include pedestrian/bicycle amenities.
- Double Churches Road improvements: $12.2M. From Veteran’s Parkway to River Road. Project to include multi-use trail and sidewalks with intersection improvements or roundabout at Double Churches & Whitesville Road.
- County Line / Mehaffey/Central Church Road improvements: $37.45M. In Muscogee and Harris Counties, the project includes interchange/ intersection Improvements, widening bridge, and widening Mehaffey Road from 2 lanes to 3 lanes. Project to include pedestrian/bicycle facilities. The Georgia Department of Transportation will partly fund this project.
- Bull Creek Dragonfly Trail Connector: $8.4M - Construct roughly 9.5 miles of multi-use paths following Bull Creek until reaching the Woodruff Farm Road Soccer Complex. This project would act as a connector to the Riverwalk and MLK Connector.
- METRA: $25M
- Columbus Airport: $25M. Passenger terminal expansion The total number of projects funded by this tax in the River Valley Region is 46, up from 23 in the 2012 TSPLOST that passed, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
With the TSPLOST, Columbus and its surrounding counties are also in a position to better use state funds for infrastructure improvements on county-owned roads and bridges.
The program, known as the Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) program, administers state motor fuel tax funds to local governments for this work. The state funds require a match from local governments. If the TSPLOST is approved, the match is only 10%. Without the tax, the match is 30%.
“Cooperation across political boundaries is essential for our regional success,” said Jim Livingston, the executive director of the River Valley Region Commission. The group supports local governments in the 16 counties and the cities around Columbus. “Working successfully together as a region since 2013 on large, impactful transportation projects will continue and we will be able to complete some important east/west corridors to help us get freight and commerce to the Port of Savannah quicker.
“We are also going to be able to see continued investment and maintenance for local roads. Together we have leveraged additional state funding and over 20 years will have over $1.3 billion dollars in new transportation investment to show for our commitment.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 10:23 AM.