COUNTY BEGINS TRANSPORTATION FORUMS

County holding public forums for residents’ feedback.

A widened I-85? A Sugarloaf Parkway that doesn’t stop at Ga. 316 but stretches all the way to Peachtree Industrial Boulevard?

New greenways? More transit?

All of those possibilities could be presented by Gwinnett’s comprehensive transportation plan, which the county began working to update in late 2015. Another round of public meetings on the project, which will steer the county’s transportation investments through 2040, kicked off Monday night at Lilburn City Hall.

Residents got a glimpse of — and offered feedback on — what could lie in the future. Topics included intersection improvements, new road connections, road and bridge maintenance, road safety and alignment, major road capacity, trails and sidewalks and transit.

“I want to stress that this is not the final list of projects,” said Cristina Pastore, a project manager for consulting firm Kimley-Horn.

Monday’s gathering was the first of six in a second round of public meetings, the goal to solicit community feedback on the potential projects and investments that came out of the first part of the process. It was sparsely attended by fewer than a dozen residents.

Lawrenceville resident Roy Pozarelli was one of a small handful of folks to show up. He said he came to “see where my money’s going” — and if he had his druthers, that would be toward expanding existing roads and highways.

“I don’t want to see any rail,” he said. “I just don’t want it. I think it’s overpriced ... It’s a losing proposition.”

The comprehensive transportation plan does address transit but is a separate undertaking from the county’s upcoming transit study. The latter is expected to launch in the next 90 days or so and will focus solely on examining what possible transit expansions are feasible.

Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash has said she wants the county to have a referendum on transit, possibly as soon as next year.

Pastore said the more than 5,000 people who took an initial round of surveys for the transportation plan cited vehicular travel as their top priority, with connectivity and transit service following close behind.

Monday’s meeting in Lilburn was the first of six scheduled to the transportation plan. The remaining meetings are Thursday at Snellville City Hall; Monday at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville; March 16 at the Dacula Park activity building; March 18 at the Shorty Howell Park activity building in Duluth; and March 20 at the George Pierce Park community room in Suwanee.

The March 18 meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to noon. The rest are scheduled to run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on their respective dates.

More than 5,000 people who took an initial round of surveys for the transportation plan cited vehicular travel as their top priority.