Transportation board again delays vote on 316 toll plan

ATLANTA - The state Board of Transportation delayed for a second time Thursday a vote that could lead to charging tolls on Ga. 316.<br> <br> Board members said a delay of up to 60 days will give a handful of bills related to the plan a chance to work their way through the Legislature.<br> <br> The 39-mile, four-lane highway runs between Athens and the Atlanta area and is heavily congested.<br> <br> Under the plan which the transportation board must vote to officially study it would be upgraded by a group of private builders. Those investors would recover the roughly $800 million cost by placing toll booths on Ga. 316.<br> <br> The public-private partnership would be the first of its kind in Georgia. Board members say they&#39;d like to see some aspects of state law cleared up before they consider going forward.<br> <br> ``We&#39;d like to err on the side of caution,&#39;&#39; said board chairman David Doss.<br> <br> Doss and other board members acknowledge that public comment on the plan was overwhelmingly negative in the first few weeks after it was announced. In the initial public comment period, which lasted 15 days, the Department of Transportation received 450 responses 87 percent of them against the plan.<br> <br> But they say more positive feedback has rolled in as details of the plan get more widely known.<br> <br> ``The comments are almost a 180 degree turn from what they were in the first couple of weeks,&#39;&#39; Doss said. ``It&#39;s pretty equally balanced at this point.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Transportation Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl said one of the law changes the board is seeking would allow more information to be released to the public. Because a private group is involved, current law shields much information that would be open if only a government agency was involved.<br> <br> It would also open information about the project up to other businesses that may be interested in bidding on the project.<br> <br> Voting to go ahead with the study would not oblige the transportation board to approve the plan. Staff members said many details of the plan would have to be worked out including the possibility of discount cards for residents of the area around Ga. 316 and University of Georgia students.<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)