ATLANTA – The State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) awarded a record $26.5 million in Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) loans and grants Tuesday that will help fund 13 transportation projects across the state.
This latest round of GTIB awards stems from $46 million the General Assembly added to the fiscal 2025 mid-year budget.
“Thanks to conservative budgeting and strategic funding of our priorities, Georgia is not only the No.-1 state for business,” Gov. Brian Kemp said. “We’re also the best state for reliable infrastructure. We’re preserving our competitive edge and reaffirming our commitment to creating opportunity in all parts of the state, especially rural Georgia.”
The largest investment is a $4.9 million loan to the Cumberland Community Improvement District in Cobb County. The money will go toward a path of more than three miles around the core of the Cumberland District, including a 0.4-mile path connecting to an existing pedestrian bridge over Interstate 285.
Colquitt County will receive more than $4.5 million in grants and loans to resurface 10 roads covering a distance of 11 miles. The GTIB investment will accelerate completion of the project by three years.
Dodge County will get more than $4.4 million in grants and loans to finance three road projects. The list includes paving Bill Mullis Road from Roddy Highway to Georgia 87, performing full-depth reclamation on Milan Eastman Road from Georgia 117 to Georgia 280 to repair damage from increased truck traffic, and resurfacing Zion Hill Church from Antioch Church Road to Coody Road. Combining the three projects will accelerate completion by a decade, resulting in significant savings.
Nearly $2.5 million in loans and grants will be used to build a single-lane roundabout in Barrow County at the intersection of State Route 53 and Mulberry Road and realign the intersection. The project is expected to improve road safety and freight movement. The state funding will accelerate completion of the work by three years.
A $2 million loan will help finance a new two-lane roadway in Cherokee County connecting the regional airport near Canton to an existing Interstate 575 interchange. The new spur road will allow the county to move ahead with plans to extend the runway to 6,000 feet, which will let aircraft carry more fuel and make longer trips.
Athens-Clarke County will receive a $1.7 million grant that will go toward realigning the intersection of Hawthorne and Oglethorpe avenues to improve overall safety and enhance the city’s sidewalk and bike networks.
The city of Mount Vernon in Montgomery County will get a grant of about $1.4 million for drainage improvements and road repairs to significant damage caused by Hurricane Helene. Carver Street, currently a dirt road, is slated to be paved.
Almost $1.25 million in grants and loans will go to Dougherty County to widen and increase the weight capacity of two bridges on Gravel Hill Road to better accommodate trucks and farm equipment. The project also calls for paving and widening four dirt roads that are heavily affected by adverse weather.
The city of LaGrange will receive a grant of $1 million to go toward building a two-lane road – Callaway South Parkway – from the intersection of Pegasus Parkway ending in a roundabout. The project will provide greater access to undeveloped parcels in the Callaway South Industrial Park.
Grants and/or loans of less than $1 million will fund four additional projects: road resurfacing in the Emanual County city of Twin City, road resurfacing and an intersection realignment near the West Georgia Regional Airport in the city of Mount Zion in Carroll County, street repaving in Seminole County’s Iron City to help jumpstart downtown revitalization efforts, and road improvements aimed at reopening both lanes of a bridge on Moores Stone Road at Bussey Creek in Stewart County.
Since its inception in 2010, the GTIB has awarded $242 million in grants and loans. Applications are evaluated based on criteria including economic value and the availability of matching funds.