Box 21, Folder 45, Document 6

Box 21, Folder 45, Document 6

ATLANTA eek
COMMERCE BUILDING

ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303

TRAFFIC AND SAFETY COUNCIL heat

A Citizens’ Organization Devoted to Traffic Improvement and Accident Prevention

August 10, 1967

The Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr.
Mayor

City of Atlanta

City Hall

Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Dear Ivan:

During a recent visit in Washington, D. C., I talked with officials in the -
U. S. Bureau of Public Roads about a program which could mean a sub-
stantial number of dollars for traffic engineering in Atlanta, In a nut-
shell, money is available from the federal government to match a sub-
stantial portion of the funds we are presently spending for improving traf-
fic flow on our major streets and downtown streets. This is a different
program from the highway safety program I mentioned in an earlier letter.

The rub is that this federal money must come from funds which are al-
located to the State as the federal government's share of construction of
the federal aid primary system. Thus, this money is available if the
State of Georgia will permit it to be made available to Atlanta rather then
used elsewhere in the State for construction,

Our Council would like to make a major push to see this done, provided
that the City also is inclined to follow through on the program.

The program involved is knows as '"TOPICS" (Traffic Operations Program
for Increasing Capacity and Safety), According to the persons with whom

I spoke, the Bureau of Public Roads is shifting more to urban-oriented prob-
lems. This program is an administrative step rather than a legislative step
as there has been no law passed really authorizing this.

To qualify under the existing regulations, the city must designate its major
streets and its main business streets as part of the federal aid primary
system, Then these streets become eligible for federal funds to improve
the operation of traffic on the streets,

GEORGE GOODWIN, PRESIDENT
BILL CC. WAINWRIGHT, MRS. LUCILLE S. HUFFMAN, VICE PRESIDENTS
c. A. MC NAIR, TREASURER
EDMUND W. HUGHES, MANAGING DIRECTOR
The Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr.
August 10, 1967
Page Two

No major construction is permitted under the program unless a particular
location can be designated as a key bottleneck or high accident location, the
remedy for which would involve a grade separation, widening or similar
construction. In this case construction could qualify.

One of the requirements to receive these funds is that the various traffic im-
provement projects must be part of an area-wide plan. This plan would out -
line proposed traffic improvements within the area over a long period and
approximately when the various portions of the plan would be accomplished,
Most cities are having consulting firms do their plans. The consultant fee
for such a plan is also eligible for the matching federal funds.

I am informed that programs of this type are now under way and receiving
matching federal money in Memphis, Tennessee, Huntsville, Alabama and
one is about to begin in Charlotte, North Carolina,

The federal officials are aware that while some states are eager to join in
the program, some rurally-oriented states are hesitant to get started since
it means giving up funding which could be used to build something else. The
attitude of those with whom I spoke was one of being eager to see a city such
as Atlanta request and receive this funding and they will do all they can at
their end. The key, however, is in having the State approve allocating some
of the federal aid primary system funds for use in Atlanta.

The purpose of this letter is to determine whether the City will be willing

to pursue this matter and seek to have the State make this federal money

available, If so, we will be happy to lend the Council's aid to this end.
Sincerely,

Fe

Edmund W. Hughes
Managing Director

EWH/sp