TSPLOST

The 2012 passage of the Transportation Investment Act T-SPLOST resulted in an $840 million infusion of state funds over the next 10 years into our region's transportation infrastructure. T-SPLOST is a 1 percent regional Special Local Option Sales Tax that directly benefits our 13-county region by funding road and transportation projects. The anticipated projects are also expected to create 22,708 new jobs.

With new T-SPLOST money, the CSRA region will be able to implement 84 transportation projects that will greatly enhance commuter traffic, business retention and attraction. This allows our region to be in total control of our own transportation funding and removes the current dependency on the state or federal government. We can now say with great confidence that many of the transportation needs of our region, especially at a time of increasing growth, will be addressed in a methodical and sustainable fashion. 

All sales tax money collected in the Central Savannah Region Area will stay in the region. 75 percent of the money will be used for predetermined projects already approved for the funds use and the remaining 25 percent is returned to the local government for new transportation projects.

Citizen’s Review Panel

Accountability for the listed projects will reside in a local Citizens Review Panel, which has oversight to ensure that the designated transportation projects are completed within budget and on time. The Chamber's transportation advocacy efforts now focus on ensuring a high level of accountability on the progress and expenditures of the referendum's projects. Two past presidents of the Augusta Metro Chamber, Both Phil Wahl (‘10) and James Kendrick (‘05), sit on the Citizens Review Panel.