AIKEN, S.C. — Residents across the Aiken and Augusta region are invited to share traffic concerns this week as the Augusta Regional Transportation Study Metropolitan Planning Organization updates its Congestion Management Process.
The Aiken County meeting is set for Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Sandlapper Room on the first floor of the Aiken County Government Center at 1930 University Parkway in Aiken.
A second session is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Augusta Municipal Building in the Linda Beazley Community Room at 535 Telfair Street in Augusta, Ga.
The project team began gathering public input in September with pop-up booths at Augustas Arts in the Heart festival and Aikens Oktoberfest, and is now asking residents, visitors and other stakeholders to help identify congestion problems and ideas for future improvements.
ARTS MPO planning covers about 806 square miles, including parts of Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina with Aiken, North Augusta, New Ellenton and Burnettown, plus Richmond County and parts of Columbia County in Georgia.
The agency last updated the Congestion Management Process in 2021 and says the refresh fulfills federal Transportation Management Area requirements from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.
Meetings will explain the process, discuss congestion and related transportation issues, and gather public input. Residents can also share experiences with delays through the confidential ARTS CMP survey the agency posted for the update.
County Council Chair Gary Bunker and County Administrator Brian Sanders oversee county facilities that host the Aiken session, while Mayor Teddy Milner leads city government in Aiken as regional travel patterns between Aiken and North Augusta keep pressure on local corridors.
