Voters to decide several MARTA projects fate in November

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The Atlanta City Council has voted unanimously to include a menu of significant Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) transit improvement projects on a Nov. 8 ballot referendum, which if approved would fund many MARTA projects with a half-penny sales tax levy that would raise an estimated $2.5 billion over the next 40 years.

 

“We have always been very grateful to have elected officials who believe in what we do at MARTA and possess the foresight and vision to understand the vital role transit plays in contributing to the economic success and quality of life in our city, and our region,” Robert Ashe, III, chairman of the MARTA Board of Directors said.

Earlier this year, the Georgia General Assembly passed SB 369, a measure that enables voters in the city of Atlanta to vote on a half-penny sales tax levy for MARTA bus and rail expansion projects, as well as other service enhancements. Since then, MARTA officials have collaborated closely with the mayor’s office and the city council to draft a prospective menu of transit projects that will benefit Atlanta residents.

“This represents a major step forward for MARTA and for the people we serve,” said Keith Parker, MARTA’s general manager and chief executive officer. “Atlanta residents will soon have the opportunity to vote on projects that have the potential to transform their city in the years ahead.”

Among the projects that could be built if the referendum passes is a light-rail line that would connect areas of southwest Atlanta, a transit station at Greenbriar Mall, on-demand circulators that operate in neighborhoods, infill stations, additional fixed-bus routes and other enhancements and expansion initiatives that would link to the Atlanta Belt Line, as well as MARTA’s existing bus-and-rail network.

 

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