Flowery Branch has completed a downtown transportation study that was begun last year, basically painting a not-so-bright picture of roadway needs and funding.

The South Hall city needs new roads and existing roads need to be fixed or improved. The city’s roads budgets have been inadequate to meet those needs.

The city had no road dollars budgeted in 2006 and money set aside last year was drained by emergency culvert repairs on Spring Street.

Pond & Co., the Norcross engineering firm that put together the study, “did conclude that the city is underfunded in terms of improving its transportation system,” said City Planner James Riker last week in a report to Flowery Branch City Council.

As an aside, Hall County has completed an inventory of city-maintained roads for the city and assigned a rating for each.

“Of those roadways, we’ve identified some that have some significant deficiencies ... and we have not identified funding sources to do those (repairs),” Riker said.

Flowery Branch first pondered the roads study in 2006, when the city identified it as a need in its comprehensive plan.

The city spent $10,000 toward the $30,000 study, with the Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization chipping in the remaining $20,000.

Officials determined the study area would stretch from McEver Road in the north to Mulberry Street in the south, encompassing the town’s older portions, particularly downtown.

The city held a forum on Oct. 22 to get public input on such issues as roadway widths, safety improvements, on-street parking and easy access to Interstate 985 from McEver Road.

A draft of the study was released in the spring showing that the city would have to spend close to $7.5 million for a slate of new roads, intersection and road fixes, and pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

One of the city’s main issues is that motorists have to dog-leg their way through narrow downtown streets to reach main thoroughfares, such as McEver Road and Ga. 13/Atlanta Highway.

Some recommended improvements include extending Lights Ferry Road to Snelling Avenue and building a new road to connect Gainesville Street and McEver Road.

Also, the study suggests a greenway for pedestrians and bicyclists.

For major projects, the study didn’t factor in potential right-of-way costs.

Special purpose local option sales tax dollars “could go toward roadway improvements but not necessarily at the funding level that we’d be looking for,” Riker said.

City Manager Bill Andrew and Public Works Superintendent Johnny Thomas “have been diligently talking about getting a list together to start sharing it with council as to what a capital improvement project schedule might be and what some of those costs might be,” he said.

Also being considered are “creative funding sources to do some of those projects,” Riker added.

The city particularly is looking at the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank.

As part of that program, “the state has funds to loan out to local governments to do certain projects provided they can identify a stream of repayment,” Riker said.

The bank, which operates under the auspices of the State Road and Tollway Authority, “provides loans with attractive terms to eligible state, regional, and local government entities to fund eligible transportation projects,” according to its website.