GDOT Issues Final RFP for West by Northwest Project

On Sept. 19, 2011, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) sent a press release announcing that GDOT issued the final Request for Proposal (RFP) for the West by Northwest Project.  The RFP was provided to three short-listed proposers, comprised of several national and international developers and contractors.  Brandon Beach, P3 Committee Chair of the State Transportation Board, viewed the issuance of the RFP as further evidence that GDOT’s P3 program “is vibrant and continuing to make huge strides in coordinating these mega-projects with our partner agencies.”

Responses to the RFP are currently scheduled to be submitted in February 2012, with construction expected to start in Spring of 2013.

West by Northwest Project to Jump Start Georgia's Economic Recovery

A recent independent report on the Georgia Department of Transportation’s West by Northwest Project indicates that the project will result in significant economic benefits to the Atlanta region and statewide. Prepared by the Fiscal Research Center at Georgia State University, the report focused on the short-term effects of the project and found:

  • The project will result in an estimated 9,705 private sector jobs in Georgia (including 9,169 jobs in the Atlanta metro region) that would not otherwise exist;
  • The project will generate over $528 million in additional income in the state of Georgia and an additional $507 million in the Atlanta metro area;
  • The project will increase the total economic output in the Atlanta metro area by more than 57%.

A full copy of the report is available from the Fiscal Research Center, which frequently writes about the economic implications of policies and public sector projects of significance to the state.

The West by Northwest Project is the first of several P3 projects in the pipeline for the state. GDOT issued a Request for Qualifications for the project earlier this month, and is expected to shortlist proposers next week.