Henry County, in collaboration with the cities of McDonough and Locust Grove, is applying for a freight cluster study grant. A freight cluster study would look at transportation and traffic patterns within the State Route 155 / South Henry County industrial area. The study is a program through the Atlanta Regional Commission.
The Atlanta Regional Commission shared in summer 2023 that south Henry County was home to 48 million square feet of industrial space. This was the fifth-largest freight cluster in the Atlanta area at the time.
Freight Cluster Study Grant
The Atlanta Regional Commission first launched its freight cluster study program in 2017. Henry County staff proposed the county complete a freight cluster study then as part of the inaugural group; however, the board of commissioners rejected the idea at the time. Now, eight years later, the board has adopted a grant application for the program.
On April 15, 2025, Henry County approved applying for a $300,000 grant to fund the study. The study requires a 20% local match or $75,000. The county intends to pay its share of the local match through the FY 2026 budget. In addition, the cities of Locust Grove and McDonough have expressed interest in collaborating on the plan. The cities would contribute $25,000 each for a three-way split with the county.
The grant application deadline is May 31. Henry County will learn later this year whether they receive the grant. The Atlanta Regional Commission is estimating the 2025 grant recipients will begin their cluster studies in the first quarter of 2026. Plans would be complete by the end of 2027.
What is a freight cluster study?
According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, “The purpose of the freight cluster plans is to conduct local freight planning and develop projects and policy recommendations to address identified transportation issues.” Freight cluster plans will look at multiple factors within the study area such as traffic congestion, bottlenecks, and roadway safety. When complete, the study will provide a fiscally constrained short-term action plan and fiscally unconstrained long-term vision project list.
The plan’s recommendations will then form the basis for future funding requests by Henry County, as well as future funding requests via GDOT and FHWA. The Atlanta Regional Commission typically holds a call for projects every two years. This process, last held in 2024, allows local governments to apply for federal transportation funding.
Neighboring Spalding County completed a freight cluster plan in 2020. The Aerotropolis Atlanta CIDs around Hartsfield-Jackson Airport also completed a plan in 2020. Plan documents from existing freight cluster plans are available to view on the ARC website.
Existing Projects
Though the freight cluster plan will consider needed road improvements, there are several existing projects already planned by Georgia DOT. Those major projects include the following:
- building a new I-75 exit near Bethlehem Road, forecast to start construction in 2026,
- widening State Route 155 between I-75 and SR 42, expected to begin construction in 2027, and
- widening SR 155 from I-75 to Hampton-Locust Grove Road, with construction beginning in 2030.
Lastly, Henry County will be widening Bill Gardner Parkway between I-75 and SR 155. The BGP widening project is paid for by transportation SPLOST. Construction should begin in early 2026.
Featured image shows a tractor-trailer on State Route 155 in McDonough. Georgia DOT photo.
