The Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization is amending its Fiscal Year 2015-2018 Transportation Improvement Program and its 2040 Transportation Vision Plan to reflect the Georgia Department of Transportation’s updated project cost estimates for three projects in Lowndes County. These updates include changes in the overall costs for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2017 which ends June 30^th.

The Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization is a multi-county, federally funded transportation planning agency for the Valdosta Urbanized Area. The VLMPO conducts long range and short range transportation planning in areas including: highways and bridges, public transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, freight movement among other areas. The VLMPO works with citizens and elected officials and staff to provide information and coordination of studies and plans that benefit the local communities within the Metropolitan Statistical Area. Recent examples of these efforts include the Valdosta Transit Implementation Study, the Downtown Truck Traffic Study, and the Traffic Signal Optimization Study.

During its annual cost review of projects, GDOT notified the VLMPO of these costs changes and requested that the TIP and TVP be amended to reflect the new cost estimates in accordance with Federal and State regulations. The VLMPO Policy Committee met on March 8^th, to conditionally approve a resolution to amend the budgets pending no significant comments from the public during the public comment period. This conditional resolution would allow GDOT to begin letting the construction phases of Exits 22 and 29 in June of 2017, and moving the other two projects forward into the right-of-way acquisition phase prior to June 30th.

The construction costs for Exits 22 and 29 saw changes due to an improved pavement design, updated earthwork quantities and pricing, updated water and sewer estimates, as well as final lighting designs being approved. The ROW phases for Exits 2 and 11 saw changes due to the necessity of providing greater sight distances at off-ramp intersections, thereby creating safer opportunities for turning movements.