Whether you “Yay!” or “Nay!” it, you all may be interested to know that the Atlanta Streetcar project can now start tearing up the streets in downtown Atlanta.
Darrell points out this press release from the Federal Transit Administration Wednesday…
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced that work can begin on the Atlanta Streetcar project, which was awarded $47.6 million from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II Program in October 2010.
…The electric streetcar will run 2.6 miles through the heart of Atlanta’s business, tourism and convention corridor. Its planned 12 stops will provide access to residential, cultural, educational and historic centers, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and the Georgia Aquarium.
…The streetcar will connect with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail system at Peachtree Center, and with numerous area bus routes. Besides providing easy access to jobs and downtown attractions, the streetcar will spur new development in an economically distressed area. It will also reconnect the eastern and western sections of downtown, which have been separated since Interstate 75/85 was built in the 1950s. Also, the project is expected to create an estimated 930 jobs during construction and more than 5,600 jobs over the next 20 years. Service is scheduled to begin in 2013.