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I-75/575 PPI Proposal Moves Forward

ATLANTA, October 26, 2005 -- The proposal to add managed lanes and a Bus Rapid Transit system on I-75 from Akers Mill Road to Hickory Grove Road and on I-575 from I-75 to Sixes Road moved a step closer to being the first Public Private Initiative (PPI) proposal in Georgia to advance to the negotiation phase.

The Evaluation Committee for PPI, established as a result of legislation passed earlier this year, recommended that a Letter of Intent to Negotiate (LOI) be considered by the State Transportation Board. The Evaluation Committee is comprised of the Governor’s two designees, Chief Financial Officer Tommy Hills and House Transportation Committee Chairman Vance Smith, as well as Georgia Transportation Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl, State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) Director Rosa Rountree, and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Director Steve Stancil.

The proposal, submitted by Georgia Transportation Partners, is scheduled to go before the State Transportation Board at a special called Board meeting targeted for the first week in November. The Board is expected to open the public comment period at that time for 30 days, during which remarks from citizens are invited and encouraged. The Department’s Board Policy requires the public comment period to last a minimum of 15 days and for a non-proprietary version of the proposal to be posted on the PPI website for public review.

Once the public comment period is closed, the State Transportation Board will consider the remarks and decide whether to approve the LOI at the regular Board meeting on Thursday, December 15.

A Letter of Intent to Negotiate (LOI) is a mechanism created in the PPI legislation that allows GDOT and a private entity to begin negotiating the details of a proposed transportation improvement project. It will contain exhibits outlining the project description, proposed schedule and terms of the project. It will be posted on the website and available for public review once it is signed.

If the State Transportation Board approves the LOI, the department and Georgia Transportation Partners will enter into negotiations to establish the framework for the other agreements between the parties with respect to the design process, project development, and construction.

For more information on the PPI process and the Northwest Corridor, please see the Featured Link on Public Private Initiatives on the GDOT webpage at www.dot.state.ga.us.