Motorists in Georgia can look forward to repaired highways and safer streets that will reduce the risk of accidents. Governor Perdue last week approved $187 million from federal stimulus funds, which will be used in up to 51 road construction and repair projects in metro Atlanta.
In April, the governor approved $207 million to be spent on highway projects, and these recent funds are in addition to those funds. All in all, Georgia is scheduled to receive $931 million for road improvement projects. Work on highways is expected to begin by summer. According to the Department of Transportation, there are dozens of projects that were in line for funds, but only those that are in poor condition or have had a high incidence of automobile accidents have been marked for construction work.
Here’s where some of those funds will go:
- The repairs of I-575 alone are expected to cost $29 million. That particular highway was in severe needs of funds for maintenance and other work.
- DeKalb County will spend $23.6 million for upgrades of intersection signals, pedestrian upgrades, paving and other projects.
- Gwinnett County, which received $42.7 million in April, is scheduled to receive more than $19 million this time around. That’s partly because the County has been able to keep road construction efforts moving with its own money while the federal funds arrived.
- Wilkinson County is due for the biggest allocation from the list – $48 million to build a section of the Fall Line Freeway there.
Several other highways have been due for repair work for a while now, and as Atlanta car accident lawyers, we’re pleased to see proposed enhancements that can only make these highways and bridges safer for use. These projects were stalled while the state grappled with a budget deficit, and counties were unable to generate the revenues needed to kick start projects. With massive stimulus funding now, there is no reason why most of these projects can’t be started as soon as possible.
With safer highways, paved roads, pedestrian upgrades, an increased number of signals at intersections and other enhancements, motorists in Georgia can look forward to a safer accident-free driving experience.