The Georgia Department of Transportation made a series of “schedule adjustments and refinements” to its Major Mobility Investment Program or MMIP on October 8 by adding a slew of highway projects to that effort; an effort described as by the agency as “an ambitious program” to “build a better Georgia” through enhanced mobility and safety, fueling economic growth, and improving quality of life for state residents.

“As the MMIP has developed and design work has progressed, we’ve evaluated how we are delivering the program and refined it to advance six improvement projects along I-285,” explained Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia DOT, in a statement. “Advancing these improvement projects, which were already part of the MMIP, will bring improvements to our region and local communities sooner and help mitigate disruptive construction congestion during the major express lanes’ construction.”

In addition to the refinement of the six improvement projects along I-285, the agency said it will “accelerate” the widening of I-85, plus speed up the Phase 2 project in Jackson County building I-75 Commercial Vehicle Lanes project south of metro Atlanta. The advancement of those projects allows local roads to receive improvements earlier, alleviation of traffic congestion sooner, and improvements for freight mobility faster, the Georgia DOT said.

“Due to ongoing fiscal constraints and increasing need to maintain a state of good repair, we are leveraging innovative financing, such as public-private partnerships (P3s) and design-build, to deliver these mobility projects on time and within budget,” noted Joe Carpenter, Georgia DOT’s P3 division director.

“Utilizing P3s allows the state to better allocate resources by leveraging private sector innovation and capital, which also accelerates project delivery and reduces public cost and debt requirements,” he said.