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GNRC update: regional plan lists Spring Hill projects; TDOT assigns about $87M to Highway 31 segments
Summary
A GNRC representative told the Spring Hill Board the regional transportation plan (RTP) update targets 2050 and a public comment period in February, and that TDOT added roughly $87 million in the TIP for two Highway 31 segments; Miles Johnson ranked highest among Spring Hill submissions.
A GNRC representative briefed the Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen on the regional transportation plan update, saying the RTP is a federally required, fiscally constrained long-range blueprint that looks toward 2050 and guides allocation of an estimated $15,800,000,000 in federal funding for the region.
The presenter said the update began with a January call for projects, uses an objective scoring system—state of good repair (20%), roadway safety (30%), congestion management (15%), economic opportunity (15%), environmental impact (10%) and alignment with adopted plans (10%)—and will go to state and federal review before a February public comment period and a March 26 Transportation Policy Board adoption target. "Come February, it'll be released for public review and public comment," the GNRC representative said.
He listed the Spring Hill submissions that remain in the draft RTP: Buckner Road widening; two Kedron Road segments (Highway 31 to Saturn Parkway and Saturn Parkway to Port Royal Road); Port Royal Road (Saturn Parkway to Kedron); Miles Johnson from Highway 31 to Kedron; a study for an interchange at State Route 396; and carried-over projects including the Harvey Park Greenway, the Jim Warren Bridge and the Peter Jenkins Greenway phase one.
The representative emphasized one change that benefits Spring Hill: TDOT submitted Highway 31 as a project and advanced a TIP amendment in November that carries two subprojects forward and reflects about $87,000,000 in committed funds for the Duplex Road-to-Buckner portion and the Buckner-to-Tollgate portion. "If you want something definitive to point at to say money will be spent on Highway 31 specifically for engineering services and right of way, you got it through the TIP amendment as well," the GNRC representative said.
Board members pressed how prioritization works and whether Miles Johnson or Kedron projects would act as bypasses. The GNRC representative said the RTP ranking is an objective regional consensus and is separate from TDOT's 10-year plan and state allocations, which he described as more political. He noted that Miles Johnson scored highest among Spring Hill submissions in the draft ranking, and that Highway 31's ranking of 68 out of 440 projects is the highest that corridor has received in GNRC scoring to date.
The board was told the RTP and TIP together provide the framework for pursuing federal grant funding and that advancing projects to shovel-ready status increases the chance of securing those dollars. The representative also cautioned that the federal Highway reauthorization in 2026 and other factors could affect long-range outcomes.
Next steps: the draft will enter state and federal review, the GNRC expects a February public comment period, and the Transportation Policy Board is slated to consider adoption on March 26.
