The most likely reason that the state has decided to once again delay funding for the North Loop Pypass Project in Villa Rica, is that the state favors putting ahead construction projects that they deem to benefit a region over those they consider more of a city project. District 68 State Representative Jay Collins told this information to WLBB radio this weekend.
 
Collins commented in the project’s timeline, “Our project had been pushed back to 2028, based on some funding allocation shuffling. I immediately contacted our state senator, Mike Dugan. He is the secretary for the transportation committee in the senate. He made some phone calls and with his efforts, he got it moved from 2028 up to 2024 with just a sit down conversation with the DOT. We are very fortunate to have him in a leadership role within the senate.”
 
Collins insisted it will be a top priority of his own to work on getting the project to start sooner, “I think that one of the things that got this project pushed back is that they looked at it as a city project that would connect two state highways. When you look at the scope of this project, this has regional impact. You impact the commute for residents that are coming from I-20 and going up Highway 61 and Highway 101 that are going up into Paulding, Haralson and Douglas counties. This project has regional impact and that is what we are having to make sure the DOT understands. This is not just affecting Villa Rica.”
 
Another local transportation project that Collins said he will be encouraging the state DOT to look into is installing an overpass or underpass for the train tracks in the Temple.