Collections still down as transportation sales tax nears seven-year mark

The sales tax that’s seen 40 area transportation projects finished is ending its sixth year 16.6 percent below projected collections, but state officials say they will see all approved Transportation Investment Act projects to completion.

The Central Savannah River Area region, one of four statewide to approve a 1-percent sales tax for transportation, is now in Year 3 of Band 2 of its 10-year schedule. Collections are set to end no sooner than Dec. 31, 2022.

The tax has funded all or most of 40 projects now completed across the 13-county region, Franks said. Sixteen TIA projects are under construction, while 27 are in the pre-construction phase, he said.

Projects set to be finished next year include the Broad Street bridge repair at Hawks Gully as well as the Marks Church Road, Druid Park Avenue and North Leg Road improvements, said Augusta Engineering Director Hameed Malik.

Also in the works include the 15th Street widening project in Augusta, where design is complete and the government has options to acquire 85 of 86 land parcels it needs, said Eric Wilkinson, regional TIA coordinator. Construction is set to begin in June, he said.

A Burke County TIA project, the widening of Highway 56, began in July and is 70 percent complete, Wilkinson said.

A Columbia County TIA project, the widening of Flowing Wells Road, has been put out for construction bids, said Steve Cassell, the county’s engineering services director for the county. Furys Ferry and Lewiston Road projects are in the right-of-way acquisition phase, he said.

The TIA has been so popular, officials are already considering a campaign to extend it another 10 years in 2022. Phil Wahl, chairman of the CSRA TIA citizen advisory panel, said a recent TIA roundtable agreed to again take a regional approach rather than counties seeking the tax on their own.

James Kendrick, who serves on the advisory panel, said the sales tax has provided a vital extra source of funds for needed transportation infrastructure.

“We’re doing things that we probably wouldn’t be able to do otherwise,” Kendrick said.

While they’re on the rise, sales tax collections have come up short since the TIA began. As of Nov. 30, only $382 million of $458 million projected to come in had been collected, a 16.6 percent deficit, Franks said.

Franks said he was confident, however, that collections will cover the region’s approved list of 84 projects within $1 million or so.

“I don’t think we’re in an insurmountable deficit,” he said. “We’re in a good place.”

Franks said the “projects are guaranteed” although their exact budgets are not.

On Tuesday, Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce President Sue Parr relayed a message to the Augusta Commission that local stakeholders want to see construction of the $25 million Broad Street project moved up from 2022 to 2020. If funds run short, the project's massive scope might have to be reduced, or supplemented from other sources.

Karen Judd, state TIA communications director, said the Georgia Department of Transportation wants to see all the CSRA projects completed.

“Right now GDOT is committed, our commission is committed to ensuring that all projects are built and they’ve already shown that by supplementing a couple of projects,” Judd said.

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Under construction

Richmond County projects funded by the one-percent Transportation Investment Act sales tax that are currently in the construction phase:

Broad Street bridge at Hawks Gully

Intelligent Transportation System Master Plan implementation

Marks Church Road widening

North Leg Road improvements

Emergency and Transit vehicle preemption system

Druid Park Avenue improvements

Windsor Spring Road Phases 4 and 5

Berckmans Road Rae's Creek bridge replacement

15th Street pedestrian improvements

Source: Georgia Department of Transportation

Richmond County TIA projects currently under construction