Tucker consultants present updated transportation and trails plan, recommend Vision Zero commitment and phased projects

Consultants retained by the city presented a consolidated update to Tucker’s transportation and trails plans and a complementary Lawrenceville Highway access and beautification study, detailing short‑, mid‑ and long‑term projects and funding guidance.

Cat Elmore of Pond and Company said the combined Tucker Connects plan carries forward earlier roadway and trail recommendations and adds a prioritization framework intended to balance feasibility, cost and connections to destinations. The team recommended dedicating roughly 20–25% of the plan’s near‑term funding to trails — about $2,000,000 per year in the consultants’ cost‑constrained scenario — and provided maps identifying high‑priority sidewalk and trail segments.

The plan groups recommendations into roadway capacity projects (mostly spot intersection improvements), operational changes (lighting, access management and other low‑cost safety measures), and new sidewalk and shared‑use path segments. On tradeoffs between on‑street bike facilities and off‑street trails, Elmore said the scoring “was very feasibility driven” but also included destination connectivity and crash history in trail prioritization.

Mitchell Lloyd, senior project manager at Pond and Company, presented the Lawrenceville Highway study, which recommends targeted access‑management “breaks” (median/UTurn treatments), pedestrian crossings and phased improvements across short‑ (0–2 years), mid‑ (2–5 years) and long‑term timeframes. He emphasized that sections of US‑29/Lawrenceville Highway are GDOT‑managed and implementation will require close coordination with the state and, in some cases, additional right‑of‑way or utility work.

Consultants highlighted recurring public concerns captured during outreach: tree impacts at the proposed Kelly Cofer Park loop, potential front‑yard impacts on proposed neighborhood greenways (street marking and modest calming), school pickup/drop‑off safety and the removal of a local MARTA bus loop as the agency revamps its network. Elmore said the plan will document reasons some arterial corridors lack bike facilities today so council can revisit them if conditions change.

On safety, the team said the update integrates FHWA safety countermeasures and positions Tucker to be eligible for Safe Streets and Roads for All grants. Elmore told the council there was “full support for Vision Zero” from local decision‑makers and that a leadership commitment or ordinance would be included with plan adoption.

Council members pressed consultants about economic return‑on‑investment metrics; the consultants said an economic impact study was not part of this phase but that connection to destinations and crash‑reduction potential were included within the prioritization scoring. Staff said the transportation and trail master plan would be shared with the Planning Commission and — because it will amend the comprehensive plan — would return to council for two readings after the commission’s recommendation.

The consultants invited additional written comments over the following week and noted the draft plans will be distributed for further review before formal consideration by the Planning Commission.