Contact: Randy Hulsey - Director, Douglas County Department of Transportation
8700 Hospital Drive - first floor, Douglas County Courthouse
Douglasville, Georgia 30134
Phone: 770.920.4932
- Fax: 770.920.4933
cduke@co.douglas.ga.us
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Project Overview
The Highway 92 Corridor Plan was developed as part of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) Livable Centers Initiative (LCI). It sets forth a vision for the corridor for a series of accessible, walkable, mixed use centers that promotes the long-term development and viability of the corridor.
Supporting the plan and vision is a framework of over 50 transportation infrastructure projects, including new street networks, streetscape enhancements, intersection improvements, bicycle and pedestrian trails, sidewalks and transit. At the cornerstone of this vision is one project: the extension of Lee Road from its current terminus at Highway 92 south to Bomar Road – the ‘Lee Road Extension.’
A Supplemental LCI Study was prepared for the Highway 92 Corridor Plan that critically evaluated, prioritized and recommended steps toward implementing the transportation projects. By virtually any measure, the Lee Road Extension surfaced as the most critical toward achieving the vision:
- Mobility
The extension of Lee Road beyond its current ‘T’ terminus at Highway 92 will be the first step in creating a better-connected local and regional network and eliminating congestion associated with heavy turn movements. Without it, congested-related delay on both facilities will increase significantly in the future. The extension will provide continuity with Bomar Road, forming what’s known as the ‘Inner Arc,’ an important east-west corridor that will provide another alternative for I-20 access and is essential for freight movement.
- Livability and Sustainability
The Lee Road Extension gives shape to an emerging node on Highway 92 that is based on a compact, mixed use center surrounded by ‘lifestyle’ neighborhoods that include a variety of housing choices, all within a human-scale design context. The ‘Lee Road Center’ is intended to result in an authentic, long-lasting community that gets away from the boom-and-bust cycle of single-use suburban strip centers.
- Sustainability Network
In direct response to the Sustainability Initiative created by a partnership between the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has proposed the establishment of Sustainability Network. The Network will be a consortium of public, private and nonprofit organizations committed to enhancing the sustainability and livability of the Atlanta metropolitan region and will provide a forum to tie together complementary efforts to share resources, experiences and lessons learned. Should the Atlanta region’s HUD Sustainable Region grant application and Douglas County’s TIGER 3 grant application be successful, the County will participate in the Sustainability Network, furthering the shared commitment to work together to maximize the return on investment of federal, state and local dollars, coordinate efforts, and collaboratively develop creative and innovative solutions that tackle common barriers to livability.
- Economic Development and Job Creation
A market scan reveals that the intersection of Lee Road and Highway 92 is best positioned to serve existing residential markets. The Lee Road Extension provides critical accessibility to vacant parcels that can quickly transform to serve market needs and generate jobs in one of Georgia’s officially designated Economically Depressed Areas (EDA). Over time, this node will become a mature anchor to an economically diverse Highway 92 corridor that includes regional commercial, service and industrial uses. The road extension provides depth to the node and enables a diversity of uses and employment types to emerge where a shallow row of single-use parcels along Highway 92 might otherwise develop.
This TIGER 3 Grant application seeks funding for the completion of the Lee Road Extension, including preliminary engineering, environmental analysis, ROW, design and construction. Although this is the sole project for which Douglas County will apply for TIGER 3 Grant funds, it is the first step in a series of public and private projects that will ultimately provide an integrated transportation and development framework for the Highway 92 corridor. As the most critical project, the Lee Road Extension is intended to help ‘jump start’ the LCI Plan as both an essential mobility/connectivity component as well as a change-agent for the Lee Road mixed use center on Highway 92.
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