A list of regional road and transit improvements to be funded by a penny tax is nearing completion, and Gwinnett leaders are determined to have as many of those road improvement projects located in-county as possible.

The official project list is to be completed August 15 and should contain between $6 billion and $8 billion worth of improvements.

Gwinnett Board of Commissions Chair Charlotte Nash said she was “cautiously optimistic” that the list would favor projects within Gwinnett County; something she pushed for in the days leading up to the completion of the list.

Gwinnett is entitled to a large share of the projects, some say, because it is expected to contribute a considerable part of the project funding. Over 10 years, Gwinnett is projected to raise about $1.2 billion toward the road improvements through Special Project Local Option Sales Tax (or SPLOST) revenue.

In previous drafts of the project list, Gwinnett-based projects included an extension to Sugarloaf Parkway, grade separations along Highway 316, widening Highway 20 in Sugar Hill, and improving intersections at Highway 78 and Highway 124, among others.

If those and other Gwinnett projects do not appear on the official list, Nash said she will petition the committee to give Gwinnett a larger share.

“It’s one thing to think regionally. It’s another to sacrifice that much,” she said. “I can’t face the voters and say this is even a reasonable list if we don’t have a substantial number of road projects.”

It is important to remember, however, that none of the projects on the list are guaranteed. Their completion will depend on whether the SPLOST penny tax is approved by voters in July 2012.