The first version of a list of local transportation projects voters will be asked to approve next May is heavy on improvements for the eastern half of Athens, to the consternation of some Athens-Clarke County commissioners who represent the other side of town.
While some of the 20 projects that made the initial cut are countywide—paving dirt roads, new traffic signals and safety improvements around schools, for instance—those with a geographical location are heavily clustered in East Athens and on the Eastside. The only project west of downtown that’s made the cut so far is $4.5 million to lay the groundwork for eventually burying power lines and building a walking and biking path along Milledge Avenue. That proposal from commissioners Mike Hamby and Allison Wright was whittled down from an initial $50.5 million request.
The drastic cut illustrates the challenges faced by an advisory committee appointed by the mayor and commission to vet proposed TSPLOST (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) projects. The committee looked at 60 submissions from residents, county staff and commissioners with a total cost of more than $600 million. But the 1% sales tax, if it’s renewed by voters in May 2026, would only bring in $200 million over approximately five years. In addition, the commission has already “pre-allocated” $140 million for routine expenses like road paving and transit operations that once came out of the general fund, leaving just $60 million for new projects, although that could change.
After meeting for dozens of hours and going through seven rounds of voting, the advisory committee’s initial list totals $90 million. Almost half that money would be devoted to building a new North Avenue bridge over the Loop at a total cost of $37.6 million split between two phases. Other substantial projects include $11 million for Complete Streets (redesigning streets to serve other modes of transportation in addition to cars) in East Athens, $4.7 million for crosswalks and separated bike lanes lanes on Barnett Shoals Road, $3.7 million to add protective concrete barriers to College Station Road bike lanes and $6 million for Vision Zero, a philosophy that embraces the goal of zero traffic deaths.
“This particular TSPLOST was very safety driven,” Alex Sams, the chair of the advisory committee, told commissioners at a July 15 presentation. Drivers have killed seven people in Athens so far this year, and 78 in the five years between 2020–2024.
However, the emphasis on the east side of town bothered commissioners Dexter Fisher and Stephanie Johnson, who represent the Tallassee Road/Whitehead Road/Jefferson Road and Atlanta Highway areas, respectively. “Should each commission district have something?” said Fisher, who is running for mayor. “I am concerned about the lack of projects on the Westside, particularly District 5.”
Fewer projects for the Westside were submitted than for the Eastside, Sams said, and the committee focused on the areas of greatest need. “If a sidewalk was needed for someone who’s now walking through grass and dirt to get to a bus stop to go to work, that was more important than a sidewalk for me to go jog on,” he said.
Eastside Commissioner Carol Myers acknowledged that the map looks lopsided, but said it’s because some areas have historically not gotten the same attention as others. She asked to see the 2026 draft map overlaid with past TSPLOST projects. “Right now the map is very lopsided to the east, which works out well for those of us on the east or the north, but I know that in the southeastern corner over there, there haven’t [been] projects in the last two TSPLOSTs,” Myers said.
“We’re making up for past stuff,” Commissioner Ovita Thornton said. “When we did the last SPLOST, nothing was on the Eastside or North Avenue.”
TSPLOST 2023 did include nine projects specifically for North and East Athens, as well as two on Lexington Road and funding to complete the Firefly Trail. SPLOST 2020 provided funding for the North Downtown mixed-income housing development at Bethel Midtown Village, improvements to Holland Park, a sidewalk on Vincent Drive and an Eastside public library.
Then there is the lost federal RAISE grant for North Avenue, which could once again become a point of contention if the bridge over the Loop remains on the list. The commission voted in May to return most of the $25 million grant because ACC was unlikely to meet a federal deadline to start construction. Part of the frustration among commissioners was that GDOT, which owns the bridge and was set to replace it as part of the RAISE project, had moved it down the priority list. The bridge does create a bottleneck for cyclists and pedestrians, but that may not matter as much when there is no funding to fix the rest of North Avenue. The project proposal—presented to the advisory committee in March—specifically mentions creating a connection to RAISE-funded bike and pedestrian infrastructure that now will not exist for the foreseeable future.
In addition, as Myers pointed out, GDOT will replace the bridge eventually, although ACC could do it faster using local dollars. She asked for information on the condition of other bridges that may also need replacing.
Although the RAISE grant is gone, there may be other sources of funding for some projects, such as unspent TSPLOST 2023 funds, Commissioner Melissa Link said. Commissioners could also take another look at the “pre-allocated” spending. In some areas, like Inner East Athens, tax allocation districts could pay for infrastructure, Commissioner Tiffany Taylor suggested. The neighborhood across the river from downtown will receive 70% of new property tax revenue from development around Akins Ford Arena.
Besides geography, another sticking point for commissioners—and voters—is the slow pace of construction, which county officials discussed at an Aug. 12 work session. Only nine of 41 TSPLOST 2023 projects and 30 of 69 SPLOST 2020 projects have been completed or are under construction. One idea to streamline the process is signing design/build contracts, rather than going through a lengthy public input process and sending projects back to the commission for approval at multiple junctures—concept, design, construction bidding, etc. In some cases the approval process drags on so long that the commission has mostly turned over by the time they’re ready to be built, requiring educating a whole new batch of elected officials.
“In my district, I’ve already heard there is a hefty, hefty, like obese appetite for not approving TSPLOST 2026 just because of the inefficiencies we’re talking about,” Johnson said.
The commission will discuss the project again at a work session in September before voting on a final project list in December. There will be opportunities for public input this fall, according to Sams.
Some projects that did not make the advisory committee’s cut include: $31.8 million to implement the Athens in Motion bike and pedestrian plan; $29.7 million for a Middle Oconee River greenway between Ben Burton Park and the future Beech Haven park; $6.6 million to align the Prince Avenue/Park Avenue/Talmadge Drive intersection; $9.8 million to improve the Five Points intersection; and $14.2 million to extend a planned Timothy Road multiuse path to Mitchell Bridge Road.
In May—on the same date as partisan primaries for state and federal office and nonpartisan local elections for mayor and commission—voters will go to the polls to vote the entire list up or down. If approved, the renewed tax is expected to kick in sometime in the fall of 2026. That’s when the existing tax expires—about a year early, because collections have been higher than expected. TSPLOST 2026 will last for five years or until $200 million is collected, whichever comes first.
TSPLOST 2026 List
The preliminary list of projects is subject to change. For more information about specific projects, visit accgov.com/11240/TSPLOST-2026.
Project # / Project Name / Cost
02 / Downtown District Connectivity Improvements / $1,201,000
13 / Eastside Athens Complete Streets Redevelopment Project / $10,998,000
15 / Safe Routes Programs / $4,773,000
17 / Traffic Signal Infrastructure Improvements Program / $3,809,000
19 / Traffic Signage Replacement Program / $2,241,000
20 / Vision Zero Action Plan Implementation / $6,054,000
23 / College Station Bike Lanes Safety / $3,732,000
29 / Pedestrian Crossing Improvements at Vine St. & Oak Ridge Ave. / $341,000
30 / Pedestrian Crossing Improvements at Peter & Herring St. / $341,000
31 / Bus Shelters at Peter St. & Gressom Ave. / $237,000
33 / Traffic Calming & Lighting at Leann Drive / $155,000
34 / Milledge Makeover / $4,500,000
35 / North Athens Neighborhood Bus Stop Improvements / $467,000
37 / Barnett Shoals Crosswalk & Safety Project / $4,668,000
46 / Dirt Road Improvements Program / $6,015,000
52 / Intersection Improvements at Pittard Road/Hull Road / $1,046,000
56 / Areawide Bus Stop Improvements / $566,000
57 / North Ave./Loop 10 Bridge Replacement Phase 1 / $7,264,000
58 / North Ave./Loop 10 Bridge Replacement Phase 2 / $30,354,000
67 / Electrify the Fleet $841,000
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