Clifton Corridor and Other Big Transit Projects Back in the Transportation Game
Decatur Metro | August 4, 2011Ken Edelstein’s Green Building Chronicle has provided some of the best, in-depth coverage of the Atlanta transportation sales tax process to-date.
Just two days ago, Edelstein did a rather extensive analysis that showed that even though transit requests made up over 65% of the original project requests from local governments, all three proposed scenarios from the Atlanta Regional Commission – even the transit-heavy one – gave transit less than 50% of the total $6.1 billion available funding. And a bit closer to home, none of the proposed scenarios funded the $1 billion+ Clifton Corridor MARTA line with more than $50 million.
However, today there are signs that the roundtable wants to dedicate more money – at least 50% – to transit, and big transit projects at that. Ken reports that these were the seven transit projects that were “approved” – though approval apparently means nothing – at today’s roundtable…
- • $825 million for a rail line from Midtown to the Cumberland area that eventually would be extended to Town Center Mall,
- • $700 million for a Clifton Corridor rail line, connecting the Lindbergh MARTA station to Emory University,
- • $600 million for to go toward rail lines proposed by the Atlanta Beltline,
- • $500 million to keep MARTA in a “State of Good Repair,”
- • $185 million to replace the state’s share of operating funds for Georgia Regional Transit Authority bus service,
- • $100 million to restore Clayton County’s recently shuttered bus service, and
- • $100 million to plan and begin implementation of light rail northeast up I-85
According to Edelstein, one definite hurdle with this allocation brought up by GDOT’s Todd Long at the meeting is that none of these projects are fully funded at these levels, so it’s unclear where they would make up the difference in order to be constructed. However, the fact that large transit projects are back on the table, with the Clifton Corridor receiving the second largest chunk of funding, will certainly be a positive sign for transit advocates dismayed at the backseat that transit had taken in the ARC’s recommendations.
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So let me get this straight: everyone knows that the Clifton Corridor will cost at least $1 billion, and more likley $1.5 billion. So ARC decided to simply cut the funding level for the project by about half and then “approve” it, having no idea where the other $700 billion or so will come from?
If so, the ARC must want this entire project to fail, because I can’t think of a better argument against it than to start work on billions worth of transit projects with absolutely no idea how they will be paid for. Am I missing something here?
The Roundtable of 21 local political leaders approved the $700 million funding level for the Clifton Corridor. ARC only suggested giving the project $50 million for planning purposes.
Thanks. I still don’t get why anyone would approve projects at 50% funding unless the goal was to build half of it then claim another “temporary” tax had to be passed to finish it.
The neighborhoods keep getting all upset about this going down the existing rail line but I don’t think that they really need to worry. There will not be money for this when the time comes. They keep on talking about tunneling through granite and stuff like that. I don’t think they could do it for 1.5 billion.
When has not having money stopped a government from spending it anyway?
I am excited, especially for the Beltline. But I have a question: If this passes does MARTA continue to collect their 1% sales tax, of whiuch 50% has to go toward capital improvements. If so, that answers some of the objections above. Right?
Yes, the MARTA 1% will continue to be collected. That’s one of the complaints of Fulton and DeKalb people who would pay another 1% on top of that.
But if MARTA allocates their 1% sales tax revenue (1/2 required by law to go to capital projects) to these projects, it may make some of these very expensive projects, like the highly needed Clifton corridor project and the Beltline, where the ARC list does not have all the required funding, more feasible. (Sorry for bad sentence structure) I think MARTA also has the ability to sell Revenue or Tax Anticipation Bonds, based on future anticipated sales tax revenue, for capital projects. Would it not be wonderful for the future development of intown Atlanta (and intown DeKalb), if these 2 needed transit projects actually happen?
I am not complaining and I am a DeKalb person!
Reading this article reinforces the need to VOTE NO!
The 1% for MARTA is enough of a burden on DeKalb. The project list is a mis-mash of uncoordinated projects with insuuficient funds to complete and NO MONEY for their operation.
VOTE NO!