What am I voting for? Here are the Chatham County projects that would be funded by TSPLOST

Will Peebles, Savannah Morning News
·3 min read

Following last week's passage of the projects to be funded by a proposed Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax by the Chatham County Commission, the final approval will be made by Chatham voters in November.

The penny sales tax of goods and services is meant to serve as a revenue source for Georgia municipalities, specifically for funding various transportation-related capital improvement projects, such as roadwork, bridges, pedestrian and bike trails and public transportation. The anticipated collection over the next few years for the tax would total $420 million.

A referendum on the tax will be on the crowded Nov. 8 midterm ballot. A majority of voters must cast ballots in favor of TSPLOST for the tax to be levied.

Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis speaks to members of the media following the passage of TSPLOST on July 29.
Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis speaks to members of the media following the passage of TSPLOST on July 29.

Here are the projects to be funded by the proposed tax, broken down by municipality.

Savannah ($143.5 million)

  • Benton Boulevard widening (Tier 1 project): $24.5 million

  • Road resurfacing: $20 million

  • Local Roadway Congestion Mitigation Program: $41.5 million

  • Transportation-related Stormwater Improvement Program: $7 million

  • Transportation Safety/Signal Program: $12 million

  • Sidewalk Expansion and Maintenance Program: $18 million

  • Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Connectivity Program: $10 million

  • Traffic Calming Improvement and Expansion Program: $7.5 million

  • Bridge Repair Program: $3 million

  •  

Port Wentworth ($19.3 million)

  • Benton Boulevard widening: $7.3 million

  • Road resurfacing:  $5.4 million

  • Congestion mitigation: $3 million

  • Operation improvements: $3 million

  • Traffic calming:  $100,000

  • Transportation Related Stormwater Management: $500,000

Pooler ($31.8 million)

  • Quacco Road widening: $10 million

  • Road resurfacing: $5.5 million

  • Pine Barren Road widening: $7 million

  • S. Rogers Street widening: $3.5 million

  • Pooler Parkway widening between Benton Blvd. and I-95: $5.8 million

Garden City ($18.5 million)

  • Road resurfacing projects: $2.4 million

  • Old Louisville Road improvements and construction: $8.5 million

  • Drainage improvements: $5.55 million

  • Multi-use trail construction: $1.5 million

  • Sidewalk construction and maintenance: $300,000

Tybee Island ($5.75 million)

  • Road resurfacing: $2.6 million

  • Strand Avenue improvements and drainage fixes (from 14th to Tybrisa Street): $3.15 million

Bloomingdale ($4.05 million)

  • Resurfacing and maintenance projects: $975,000

  • Various resurfacing projects: $1 million

  • Operational improvements (no specifics given): $825,000

  • Traffic signal improvements: $500,000

  • U.S. 80 sidewalks (to Pooler city limit): $250,000

  • Morgan Lake trail: $500,000

Thunderbolt ($4.58 million)

  • Resurfacing (Tier 1 project): $2.59 million

  • Various resurfacing: $844,530

  • Shell Road sidewalk: $94,560

  • College sidewalk: $36,720

  • Mechanics Ssidewalk: $29,295

  • River Drive sidewalk: $94,905

  • Bonaventure multi-use trail: $540,400

  • Victory Drive multi-use trail: $177,800

  • Shell Road multi-use trail: $182,000

Vernonburg ($308,209)

  • Road resurfacing: $308,309

Chatham County ($187,400,300)

  • Little Neck Road Improvement Project: $50 million

  • Truman Parkway Improvement Project: $10 million

  • Interstate 95 at SR 204/Gateway interchange: $9 million

  • Airport Ave & Pooler Parkway: $20 million

  • Highway 17 Corridor improvements: $12 million

  • Various resurfacing & maintenance projects: $9 million

  • Roadway maintenance other than resurfacing: $5,2 million

  • John Carter Road Improvements: $8 million

  • Quacco Road widening: $6 million

  • Island’s Expressway Improvement Project: $5 million

  • Complete Street Improvements: $9 million

  • Quacco Road Bridge Replacement over I-95: $4 million

  • Intersection improvements: $6.5 million

  • Chevis Road Improvement/Trail Project: $5 million

  • Wild Heron Road/Grove Point Road trail: $5 million

  • Truman Linear Park Trail, Phase 3: $4 million

  • Green Island Road trail:  $3 million

  • Isle of Hope sidewalks: $1.5 million

  • Waite Drive Improvements/Traffic Calming: $3 million

  • CAT allocation: $2 million

  • One Chatham: $10.2 million

Will Peebles is the City Council and County Commission reporter for Savannah Morning News, covering local Savannah and Chatham County decisions. He can be reached at wpeebles@savannahnow.com or on Twitter @willpeeblesSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Chatham proposed sales tax will fund these transportation projects