GRTA Executive Director Catherine Ross praised the overall direction of the Transportation Improvement Program and the long-term Regional Transportation Plan on which it is based, saying both documents represent “significant progress” for the region. The RTP calls for $36 billion worth of transportation investments over the next 25 years, mostly on transit.

But federal officials are worried that some elements of the plan, such as funding for transit projects and concentrated development around transit corridors, will not be carried out, Ross said.

“What they want to know is, if this plan gets approved, will it work?” Ross told the GRTA board.

The TIP was adopted by ARC on March 22, and must be approved by GRTA and federal officials before the region can regain the use of federal funds for new road projects. The use of federal transportation funds in the 13-county Atlanta region have been restricted since 1998 because of poor air quality.

In addition to their other concerns, federal officials are worried that computer testing of the plan might have relied on incorrect data involving vehicle speeds, Ross said.

Upon Ross’ recommendation, the GRTA board deferred action on the TIP, and urged ARC to continue to work to resolve the concerns. A resolution adopted by the board also asked ARC to recommend a program for insuring that the land use assumptions and funding requirements in the RTP are carried out.