COBB COUNTY - Transportation officials now have a $5.5 million facility to monitor traffic on a giant screen and help motorists get home a little quicker.

Cobb and Georgia officials attended a ribbon-cutting Thursday afternoon for the Regional Traffic Management Center, at 1890 County Services Parkway in Marietta. The center manages traffic signals, incidents and special events, and officials can communicate alternate routes, accidents or 911 alerts on the county's four electronic messaging signs.

The 25,000-square-foot facility has been operating since July 1, Cobb DOT Traffic Operations Division Manager David Montanye said, though Thursday marked its official opening.

Cobb Chairman Tim Lee said workers can monitor cameras at intersections throughout Cobb on an 8-feet-by-16-feet video screen and manage the county's 530 traffic lights to get motorists moving more efficiently. Maps on the giant screen show green lines for open, low-traffic streets and red lines for closed or traffic-heavy streets.

Cobb has 70 traffic cameras through the county, with 10 of those being in and operated by the city of Marietta, Montanye said.

In addition, the center can also remotely operate the county's 221 school flasher signs, said Faye DiMassimo, director of Cobb Department of Transportation.

The county is linked with the Georgia Navigating System, operating on Nav 1 software, but Montanye said an updated, much more efficient software called Nav 2 will launch in October. Once the county is able to use that software, traffic conditions should improve even more.

"I think the whole idea behind this facility is to keep roads open and handle traffic capacity efficiently. We have to have better operation capabilities with our traffic signals, and when we do, our roadways are safer because of that," Montanye said.

Kathy Clark, manager of the Regional Traffic Management Center, said she previously could only see one or two traffic screens at time. Now, she is able to see up to 32.

"This is just much, much more efficient and I can change the message boards from here and see it automatically changed from the camera showing the signal, while at the same time looking at traffic flow at a nearby road and mapping out an open road and seeing it all in front of me on this huge screen. It's great," Clark said.

Montanye said only county staff is able to see the maps dictating "good and bad" roads, but in the near future, those maps will be available to residents online.

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who attended Thursday's ribbon cutting, said the state's transportation management center resulted in reductions of 7 million hours of vehicle travel delays; 5.2 million gallons of gas; 2,400 tons of carbon emissions; and 386 accidents in one year alone.

"Transportation and infrastructure have been and are the biggest issues in Georgia today. With this center, you'll find less time being spent in the car, less carbon emissions and less accidents, all resulting in a better quality of life," Isakson said.

Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Vance Smith said, "This is an absolutely great facility you have here. This is all about the safety of our citizens, so let's keep partnering and working together. We have to make sure we're always providing a benefit to the citizens of Georgia, and to do that, there have to be partnerships."

Also in attendance Thursday were: former Cobb chairman and GOP attorney general candidate Sam Olens; GDOT Director of Planning Todd Long; State Sen. Doug Stoner; County Manager David Hankerson; Lee; Cobb Commissioners Helen Goreham, Woody Thompson, Bob Ott and Thea Powell; Cobb Fire Chief Sam Heaton; Cobb Police Chief John Houser; Marietta City Councilman Philip Goldstein; and Smyrna City Councilman Wade Lnenicka.