Georgia’s Transportation Investment Act (TIA) program, now in its 13th year, has completed 20 transportation projects in the River Valley Region, contributing to a total of 951 projects statewide. The initiative aims to enhance economic and civic development through infrastructure improvements.
State TIA Administrator Kenneth Franks presented data on May 14, 2025, indicating that successful outcomes are attributed to effective management and cooperation between Georgia DOT program administrators and local officials. Voters in the River Valley region and three other Georgia regions initially approved funding for community-selected transportation projects via a one-cent sales tax. This initiative started with a decade-long term from 2013 to 2022, during which $512.3 million was collected.
Of this amount, $384.2 million was allocated to infrastructure improvement projects while $128 million was used as discretionary funds by the counties for additional transportation initiatives. In their second term (2023-2032), River Valley plans for an additional list of 45 projects with ongoing progress.
Franks explained that transparency and collaboration help keep costs consistent despite challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and rising construction costs: “TIA staff work in conjunction with each region as the local officials build their project investment lists.” He further stated that they account for inflation when budgeting: “Originally, we counted on dealing with three percent inflation annually.”
In total, four participating regions tackled over a thousand projects during their TIA terms with budgets amounting to billions of dollars. Since starting its second decade, River Valley’s revenue collection has surpassed forecasts by 17%. According to the referendum guidelines, tax collections must cease once projected amounts are met unless a new term is voted upon.
Recent TIA-funded achievements include improvements on SR 30/US 280 in Crisp County and enhancements on Buck Creek Bypass in Macon County.
