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Let's talk about Georgia DOT's $10 billion highway boondoggle, the Major Mobility Investment Program.
What is MMIP? Aside from the price tag, it's a package of nearly 20 highway expansion projects slated to deliver over the next decade across Georgia. The vast majority of these projects are in metro Atlanta, though there are a couple in Savannah too.
A few of these projects are near completion; several more are wrapping up planning and design (and compliance) work, and are therefore set to begin construction soon. Others are further afield and still in early stages of development. This schedule is from December 2020.
If you live or have driven in Atlanta, you'll probably recognize most of these projects center on the I-285 Perimeter, which yes, is quite congested. Through trucks also aren't allowed on Interstates inside the Perimeter, so you have a lot of freight traffic on these corridors.
I-285 is already massive wide...12 lanes at points. It also has some mindbogglingly awful interchanges.
And because GDOT is stuck in a 20th Century mindset, once again the solution to its current and future congestion problems is more highway lanes and expanded interchanges.
And because GDOT is stuck in a 20th Century mindset, once again the solution to its current and future congestion problems is more highway lanes and expanded interchanges.
Rather than convert existing lanes to tolled lanes, it of course is proposing to build new ones. Also along GA-400. As GDOT has seen the public appetite for more widenings (and takings) wane over the past decade, it has increasingly pitched these as "transit enabling" projects.
Transit advocates were excited in 2018 to learn Governor Deal had granted a $100M bond to the GA-400 project "for bus-only interchanges." This was part of the packaging of a more forward-thinking highway project, catering to a changing North Fulton. https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/deal-set-unveil-100m-new-transit-funding/TIuWOUIFLtRfRaEhKLscoO/
It was also, of course, a bait-and-switch. That $100M was not acutally obligated "for" transit, but "to not preclude it" in the project design. Transit infrastructure itself would have to be funded by MARTA. Meanwhile, eminent domain is in play. https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/sandy-springs-residents-riled-up-over-gdot-s-plans-to-acquire-20-homes-for-georgia/article_4940e786-3c86-11e9-92ee-0b3ebe935046.html
That's just a preview of what's to come, as initial designs for the I-285 "Top End" managed lanes project could gobble up another 300 homes. Like GA-400, a "BRT-style" transit project has been proposed for it, and is being used to justify the expansion. https://reporternewspapers.net/2019/04/19/300-properties-could-be-affected-by-i-285-top-end-toll-lanes-project/
In fact, GDOT uses a lot of bogus benefits analysis for these projects. It's not just the transit utility (which faces a lot of questions in terms of network design and connectivity), but all the congestion mitigation benefits that we know will be fleeting due to induced demand.
In fact, GDOT keeps getting slapped in audits for not providing poor cost-benefit analysis in project selection.
From 2019: "They found GDOT's initial project-screening process is not transparent enough and relies too little on objective criteria." https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/audit-georgia-dot-should-more-justify-road-projects/0DjMhRVPoD5O4VULvBP4iM/
From 2019: "They found GDOT's initial project-screening process is not transparent enough and relies too little on objective criteria." https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/audit-georgia-dot-should-more-justify-road-projects/0DjMhRVPoD5O4VULvBP4iM/
Those I-285 Top End lanes were flagged as problematic because, in addition to being expensive AF, GDOT defaulted to two new toll lanes in each direction, rather than looking at alternatives, including expanded transit or a scaled down project that may (would) provide better ROI.
Also flagged as problematic? The planned project for truck-only lanes inbound on I-75. It uses outdated growth projections & no proper alternatives analysis.
These are all instances of an agency defaulting to the same tired, ineffective solutions for long-term problems.
These are all instances of an agency defaulting to the same tired, ineffective solutions for long-term problems.
I'll also dispel one bogus, post-facto justification for these projects..."enabling automated vehicles." These lanes are not going to be built with nearly enough mileage and will not come online close enough to one another to accelerate AV deployment in Georgia.
So you've ended up with billions of capital projects lined up to effectively make Atlanta's mobility problems worse, siphoning money from a whole host of other things GDOT can do to genuinely improve the mobility and quality of life for metro residents (and visitors!).
Yes, there are constitutional restrictions for our gas tax revenues, limiting spending to road & bridge projects. But sidewalks, bike lanes, and even BRT infrastructure along state roads are all eligible projects.
As is increasing state-of-good-repair $$$ for existing assets.
As is increasing state-of-good-repair $$$ for existing assets.
But our next two big projects are new interchanges for I-285/I-20 East and West, which involve new access roads and widening of the footprint on both. GDOT will be almost certainly be asking the feds for discretionary $ to help fund those. @SecretaryPete should not indulge them.
Both I-285/I-20 interchange projects are in fact examples of environmental racism. They will increase throughput of freight traffic through parts of Fulton and DeKalb that are predominantly low-income and Black. That means more noxious emissions disproportionately impacting POC.
Unfortunately, the Trump FHWA already granted the I-285/I-20 East project a Finding of No Significant Impact on its environmental review process, which is absolute horse****. I-285/I-20 West is currently in its review process.
The Biden Admin should slow both projects down.
The Biden Admin should slow both projects down.
We recently saw the Biden/Buttigieg USDOT take action against TXDOT on its proposed I-45 widening on grounds of disparate impact. This is unprecedented in US transportation history. https://slate.com/business/2021/03/buttigieg-texas-highway-houston-civil-rights.html
Anti-highway advocates smell blood in the water, and are now taking action in Portland, Milwaukee, and other major cities too. If ever there was a time to stop these projects, *which we know are counterproductive to long-term mobility goals*...it's now. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-06/dear-pete-buttigieg-stop-these-highways-too?sref=0IejgNtz
So to bring this back to GA...public officials and advocates should be asking the feds to intervene and stop these destructive projects. Interstate widenings have done enough damage to Atlanta in its history, and it's time to stop the bleeding. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/traffic-atlanta-segregation.html?mtrref=www.google.com&assetType=PAYWALL
The objective here isn't to starve GDOT (or any state DOT) of funding, but to send a message that they won't be able to get more federal money for these types of projects, and steer them toward different ones that actually serve our long term mobility objectives.
More rail, sidewalks, bike lanes, transit. DOTs play a crucial role in all of these, and their role should expand. But they won't do so unless their incentives change. Atlantans need to step up & ask @SecretaryPete @ReverendWarnock @ossoff to force a course correction.
Fin.
Fin.
