Perdue Clears Way for Road Projects

Gov. Sonny Perdue has cleared the way for 11 road projects funded by the federal stimulus package to move forward. The projects cost $51 million and span Georgia, from metro Atlanta to Washington County. They include a $14.4 million project to build auxiliary lanes along a busy Macon highway and $10.1 million to refurbish a stretch of Interstate 85 from Franklin to the South Carolina border. Another $9 million will be spent to replace and refurbish bridges in Coffee County, Colquitt County, DeKalb County and Douglas County. Some $7.6 million will improve a main road in DeKalb County. Perdue said the state is "using these federal dollars wisely to improve our transportation network and to put Georgians to work."

(Associated Press)

Transportation measure takes another step

A proposal to allow for a penny sales tax to support regional transportation projects passed another hurdle Thursday. It now gets the look by a House-Senate conference committee.

The State House overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that would ask voters whether they want to implement a penny tax for regional road projects. All the money raised would be spent only in that region. Some rural Republicans opposed the measures, saying it is a tax increase and therefore against Republican principles. But urban lawmakers argued that something had to be done about the bad traffic, and this was the best way to get something done.

Republican Donna Sheldon represents Gwinnett County.

"In my citizens who I'm hearing from that want this bill, are the moms and dads who don't work inside Gwinnett County and have to commute. They can't get home to see their kids play ball, because they're stuck in traffic. They can't get home to go to their PTA meetings".

The Senate disagreed to some changes made by the House--the two chambers will now get together to iron out differences.