The Atlanta Regional Commission announced it cancelled 14 Flint River Gateway Trail projects after the federal government rescinded a $64.9 million Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant.
At the Oct. 8 board meeting, Transportation Planning Principal Michael Haire announced the cancellation but said the ARC is still working on a few projects.
“The ARC is still committed to seeing this initiative through, and we have recently expanded an existing trails master plan to encompass the extent of these projects,” Haire said. “To have these on paper and use that to apply for additional federal funds in the future as they become available.”
The regional commission is working on an ambitious 31-mile trail plan across South Metro Atlanta that would connect College Park, East Point and Hapeville to the Atlanta Beltline — all along the Flint River, which runs beneath the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and has been plagued by a lack of investment.
There are six cancelled projects in East Point, five in Clayton County, one in Cobb County, one in College Park and one in Hapeville. Two planning pieces were also cancelled. The ARC found three projects that could move ahead without the funds, using local or Transportation Improvement Program dollars to pay for the projects.
“We’re going to make incremental steps to moving the project along,” Chief Operations Officer Mike Alexander said.
The Lee Street project in Atlanta is already funded but stalled, and ARC is working on the Main Street project in East Point to get TIP funds. In Clayton County, there’s an 11.5-mile stretch of Tara Boulevard designed for “pedestrian improvements.”
According to the ARC. The county verbally committed to widening the trails for multi-use purposes with Transportation Improvement Program dollars.
In the meantime, ARC employees have been going “door to door” to learn about what local governments and residents want from the project. They’re also looking at additional private dollars.
“It’s going to be modeled off the Chattahoochee RiverLands, a very successful project,” Transportation Planning Coordinator Eric Meyer said.
Meyer said the “very successful project” raised over $20 million to pay for the river project. For the Flint River trail project, the ARC aims to look for other funding sources in the long term to keep it moving along.
On Nov. 7, the new and reduced plan will be presented in front of the Transportation Coordinating Committee, and it will be presented for approval at the Transportation and Air Quality Commission on Nov. 12. Public comment on the program is open until the end of October.
It’s disappointing to see so many Flint River Gateway Trail projects canceled, but it’s encouraging that the ARC is still committed to moving the trail initiative forward. Engaging local communities and exploring alternative funding shows a real dedication to creating safe, accessible, and connected spaces for all. Excited to see how the revised plan shapes up!