The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Board this week approved a major update to the transportation portion of the Atlanta Region’s Plan that allocates $172.6 billion in federal, state, and local funding through 2050 to improve mobility and safety across metro Atlanta.
The update to the transportation part of the Atlanta Region's Plan includes projects and programs designed to improve roads and highways, enhance transit options, expand the region’s network of multi-use trails, and encourage alternative commuting options such as carpooling and teleworking.
“The Atlanta Region’s Plan offers a balanced, strategic approach to keep our region moving forward, even as our population continues to grow,” Doug Hooker, Executive Director of ARC, said in a statement. “This plan will help metro Atlanta remain competitive, with a high quality of life, in the decades to come.”
The plan includes $11 billion for transit expansion. Transit projects scheduled in the next decade include:
- High capacity transit in Clayton County, phase 1 of which will connect Jonesboro to the East Point MARTA station.
- Expansion of the Atlanta’s streetcar network from Jackson St. to Ponce de Leon Ave., which includes a portion of the Atlanta BeltLine, as well as a section on North Avenue that will be bus rapid transit.
- Bus rapid transit lines in Clayton County to replace two conventional MARTA bus routes.
- A bus rapid transit line to connect the growing Georgia State University Stadium area in Summerhill to the MARTA rail network to the north and the Atlanta BeltLine to the south.
- Engineering and other work will take place to prepare for construction of transit on other segments of the Atlanta BeltLine.
- Other key projects are programmed for later years in the plan, including a bus rapid transit line in Gwinnett County connecting the Doraville MARTA station and Sugarloaf Mills, and a bus rapid transit line in Cobb County, connecting Kennesaw State University and the Arts Center MARTA station.
The plan is designed to accommodate significant growth that is expected to occur over the next three decades. In the metro Atlanta region, annual transit ridership is expected to more than double, from 510,520 riders today to over 1.1 million in 2050.
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SOURCE: Atlanta Regional Commission
