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ARTS / Metropolitan Planning Organization
What is the ARTS Metropolitan Planning Organization?
Augusta Regional Transportation Study (ARTS) is a bi-state Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) covering the Augusta-Richmond County, GA; and, Aiken County, SC urbanized areas. MPOs are established in urbanized areas of 50,000 population or more in order to meet Federal requirements for obtaining and expending Federal transportation funds. The ARTS MPO as a federally-designated agency is responsible for making policy about local transportation and deciding how to spend Federal funds for carrying out the transportation planning process.
ARTS planning area covers an approximate land area of 793 square miles with population of 511,686 (US Census 2010) and includes: Richmond County, and the Cities of Hephzibah and Blythe in Georgia; the Fort Gordon Military Reservation; parts of Columbia County, including the City of Grovetown; and, parts of Aiken and Edgefield Counties in South Carolina, including the Cities of Aiken, North Augusta, New Ellenton and Burnettown.
The ARTS MPO functions within the Augusta Planning & Development Department and works in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
Study Overview
The Augusta Regional Transportation Study (ARTS) was established as a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in 1970. The mission of ARTS is to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning process as a "Continuous, Comprehensive, and Cooperative (3C) Process." ARTS works in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Department of Transportation to achieve its mission.
ARTS is arranged in a four (4) committee organizational structure; the Policy Committee is responsible for overall direction and conclusions of the Study; the South Carolina Subcommittee of the Policy Committee representing electing officials in Aiken and Edgefield Counties in South Carolina; Citizens Advisory Committee designed to provide the Study process with a general citizen input; and a Technical Coordinating Committee made up of individuals possessing the technical capabilities of carrying out the in-depth analysis necessary for ARTS to achieve its mission.
The ARTS planning area covers an approximate land area of 793 square miles with population of 511,686 (US Census 2010) and includes: Richmond County, and the Cities of Hephzibah and Blythe in Georgia; the Fort Gordon Military Reservation; parts of Columbia County, including the City of Grovetown; and, parts of Aiken and Edgefield Counties in South Carolina, including the Cities of Aiken, North Augusta, New Ellenton and Burnettown.