VALDOSTA — The Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO) is seeking comments on its amended FY2015-2018 Transportation Improvement Program. The VLMPO is the designated agency responsible for carrying out federally funded transportation projects in Valdosta and Lowndes County, and portions of Berrien, Brooks and Lanier Counties. Created in 2003, the VLMPO Policy Committee selects and approves projects to receive federal funding annually.
The Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, is the short-range plan approved by the VLMPO Policy Committee that allows federal funds to be spent on various transportation projects in the region. The projects are selected from the 2040 Transportation Plan that is up for adoption in September 2015. Projects in this year’s TIP have been amended based on input from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to reflect budgetary changes in the upcoming fiscal year. These changes primarily impact interchanges at I-75 in Lake Park and Valdosta, and North Forrest Street from Park Ave. to State Route 125/Bemiss Rd. in Valdosta. Additional changes have been made to the project list regarding funding sources and completion dates.
The VLMPO is a transportation planning organization that is responsible for the development of local transportation plans that will utilize federal motor fuel tax revenue to construct projects in the region “The VLMPO staff analyzes transportation data, statistics, and public input to develop future transportation projects,” says Corey Hull, MPO Coordinator. “This data and reports are used by local and state officials to help determine which projects to build next.” The VLMPO plans for all forms of transportation including highways, public transit, bike and pedestrian facilities, and freight transportation.
The TIP covers federally funded transportation projects to be undertaken in the next four years and includes both highway projects and public transit projects. The TIP is available on the VLMPO website at www.sgrc.us and at all local public libraries and government administration offices. The VLMPO is seeking public comment from July 7 to August 7, 2015. Comments can be submitted via phone at 229-333-5277, by email at chull@sgrc.us, or by fax at 229-333-5312.
The VLMPO staff will host an Open House on July 15, 2015 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; at the South Georgia Regional Library at 300 Woodrow Wilson Dr, on July 22, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Southern Georgia Regional Commission; and on July 30, 2015 from 4:00p.m. to 6:30p.m. at the McMullen Southside Library, at 527 Griffin Ave. Hull says, “VLMPO staff will be on hand to answer questions from the public about their transportation concerns. The open house format allows people to quickly get their questions answered without having to sit through a long meeting.”
The VLMPO Policy Committee adopted the TIP at a meeting in early June. All meetings of the VLMPO Policy Committee and its advisory committees are open to the public.
