One of the biggest growth areas in Gainesville is the area around Ga. 365 (SR 365) and Jesse Jewell Parkway, and local transportation officials know they need some help as they plan for traffic in that part of the city.
In March, the Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization (GHMPO) will go before the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to ask for funding for a traffic study specifically for that area.
Chris Rotalsky, Public Works Director for the City of Gainesville, asked for and received approval this past week from the policy committee of GHMPO, to go before GDOT's PL Funds Review Committee.
Rotalsky said the request will be for $160,000 to pay for a consultant to conduct the study; the city of Gainesville would pay $40,000 in matching funds for its part of the study.
"This study will set us up to evaluate other [transportation] projects that need to be done," Rotalsky said after Tuesday's meeting. "It's somewhat conceptual in nature, but it will lead us to real projects, if you would."
In his presentation to the GHMPO Policy Committee, Rotalsky pointed out the additional traffic the new Lanier Technical College campus has brought to SR 365. Plus, the new 104-acre inland port planned on the corridor will also be a traffic generator. Development also continues on Jesse Jewell Parkway with a recently approved mixed-use development that will consist of 200,000 square feet of retail/office space and 300 residential units.
All of that growth could spell traffic gridlock without proper planning, according to Rotalsky.
Should the funding be approved, Rotalsky said it would take a consultant about a year to complete the study and have findings in place for local officials to evaluate.
