Hall County road planners are going to have to trim some $500 million in expenses from the proposed 2040 transportation plan.

South Carolina-based consultant Jeff Carroll told a Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization committee Wednesday morning that projects listed in the plan, presented during a March 8 public hearing, are estimated to cost $2.2 billion.

That amount factors in inflation and the "year of expenditure," or about when the road could be built.

By contrast, the amount of estimated revenue from federal, state and local sources is estimated to be nearly $1.7 billion.

"When you're dealing with (a $500 million gap), there's going to have to be some serious discussion as to what projects are needed," Carroll told the MPO's technical coordinating committee.

"... Some projects are probably going to have to be removed - or some phases are going to have to be removed - from the process."

The agency is working with a 2030 transportation plan that was adopted in August 2007. The agency's new plan must be approved by August, with two public hearings having taken place.

At a third hearing, set for 5:30 p.m. June 14 at the Georgia Mountains Center in Gainesville, officials are expected to present the revised list, with projected costs matching revenue.

The U.S. Department of Transportation requires MPOs to update their long-range transportation plans every five years or every four years for those MPOs in nonattainment areas for air quality standards.

So, projects that are removed from the 2040 list aren't totally dead, Carroll noted.

They still will be considered as funding becomes available, particularly if the state's planned 1-cent sales tax for transportation passes next year.

Projects also could move up in priority when the plan is revised in several years.

Also, officials could decide to budget just for preliminary engineering on a project and put off right-of-way acquisition and construction, Carroll said.

As part of the 2040 plan, the MPO projects a total of $2.078 billion in revenue, with $1.7 billion for road projects, $287.5 million for transportation maintenance and $91.8 million for transit.

The local funding source is primarily Hall County's 1-cent special purpose local option taxes. The county's current SPLOST, approved by voters in March 2009, will last for six years.

"It's been very successful in the county, so the federal government does allow us to use that (as a funding source)," Carroll said.

The plan's final adoption is set for Aug. 9 before the MPO's policy committee.

Projects are split among three time frames - 2012-17, 2018-30 and 2031-40. The ones in 2012-17 include the widening of Ga. 347/Friendship Road from Interstate 985 to Ga. 211/Old Winder Highway and Ga. 347/Lanier Islands Parkway from I-985 to McEver Road.