Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Additional press on MARTA expansion plans

Rather than passively waiting for the T-SPLOST vote next July, MARTA board members have chosen proactive optimism:

The board green-lighted a plan to seek $1.6 billion in federal funds to build the Clifton Corridor light rail from the Lindbergh Center station in north Atlanta to the Avondale station east of Decatur and also create an all-day express bus service from south DeKalb to job centers in the metro area. 
In a surprise move, the board also approved seeking federal money for a heavy-rail extension from the Indian Creek station to the Mall at Stonecrest, a move largely seen as an attempt to mollify angry south DeKalb residents. Those residents and their politicians have threatened to try to derail the regional transportation sales tax referendum because its project list doesn't include rail for them. continue reading @ AJC

The Atlanta Business Chronicle also reports on the Board's decision, adding that although T-SPLOST penny tax is only a "downpayment" on this massive project, voter support improves the odds of receiving federal funds in the future.

The penny tax would raise $6.14 billion over 10 years for highway and transit projects of regional significance, including $700 million for the Clifton Corridor rail line and $225 million for transit improvements along the I-20 corridor. . .
The Clifton Corridor light-rail line would extend 8.8 miles from MARTA’s Lindbergh Center station to the Avondale station. Part of the proposed alignment would run in the median of Clifton Road near Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
The I-20 project would connect MARTA’s Indian Creek station with the Mall at Stonecrest via heavy rail. Bus rapid transit service, a step up from regular buses, would operate between downtown Atlanta and a new MARTA station on Wesley Chapel Road. continue reading @ Atlanta Business Chronicle