A new long-range transportation plan for the Hall County area has taken a big step forward with officials’ approval of a projects list through 2040. The Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization’s policy committee, a group of top elected leaders from throughout the area, has given MPO staff the go-ahead to submit the project list to the Georgia Department of Transportation. The list shows projects divided by three time frames, 2015-20, 2021-30 and 2031-40, and is a major component of the federally required long-range plan, which must be renewed for another four years by August.