On May 20, a storm cell hit Atlanta, causing catastrophic flooding and extreme traffic congestion. With inches of water covering much of the Downtown Connector, commuters became stranded, and local waterways were filled with polluted runoff that killed an unprecedented number of fish. With many climate experts warning that flash flooding will only continue to […]
Tag: Infrastructure
Posted inAtlanta Way 2.0
Local residents express concern about Atlanta’s water infrastructure
Climate change is increasing the intensity of flash flooding in Atlanta. While the city has taken measures to mitigate the issue, residents in one watershed say not enough is being done. City Government’s Efforts One blueprint for saving Atlanta from drowning has been around for over 20 years. In 2001, following years of public input, […]
Posted inHannah Jones
CITY CITÉ event explores how Atlanta’s built infrastructure can better support arts and culture
How will we ensure art and culture are prioritized in the cultural capital of the south?
Posted inColumns
Congress must pass immigration relief now to unite communities, raise economic growth
By Guest Columnist ANTONIO MOLINA, chairman, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
As a U.S. Navy Veteran, a community leader here in the state of Georgia, and current chairman of the board for the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I am incredibly proud of the progress that the Latino community has made across the nation and the Peach state.
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta calls public vote in May to approve $750 million for mobility, parks, etc
The Atlanta City Council has called two referendums for May 2022 – one to raise up to $350 million with a sales tax to fund transportation improvements, and a $406 million bond package for broad improvements to be financed by property taxes.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Atlanta needs $2.6 billion for roads, bridges, sidewalks — for a start
The work would take 67 years if Atlanta doesn’t raise more money.
Posted inColumns
Georgia continues to borrow to build projects, create jobs as state debt remains low
The $1.2 billion Georgia intends to inject into the state’s economy through its long-term investment program is expected to help offset the pandemic-related recession that has cut jobs and hampered company earnings across the state.
Posted inColumns
Let’s restart America: Here’s how
I’ve given a lot of thought to the best way for us to restart the economy. … We need a new strategy for investing in America to recover from record unemployment and shattered business dreams. Here’s the way we can do it.
Posted inColumns
$100 Billion
On Jan. 11, MARTA CEO Jeff Parker stood before the audience of the 6th annual State of MARTA address announcing that within the next few decades the metro Atlanta area would need to invest $100 billion in new transit & developments to meet future needs by 2045.
Posted inLatest News
New round of public meetings scheduled on trims to Atlanta public works projects
As Atlanta decides how to try and cover road, sidewalk and other repairs with a pot of money that’s not big enough, city residents can expect to see three scenarios on what high-profile projects in two programs may — or may not — get done.
Posted inLaw & Public Policy, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
US Policy Scan 2019
After two years of Republican control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, many wait with bated breath for the 116th Congress to commence. Democrats emerged from the midterm elections in control of the House of Representatives, allowing them to block much of President Trump’s agenda and exercise the oversight and investigatory powers […]
Posted inMaggie Lee
Voter-approved Atlanta public works programs $410 million short of promises
“This is more than a program recovery effort, this is an exercise of building and maintaining public trust…”
Posted inLatest News
Non-profit climate group campaigns for new taxes to combat rising sea levels
The passage of a $192 million bond referendum in Miami last year established that taxpayers are willing to shoulder debt to ward off rising sea levels. A group that helped fund that campaign is connected to a digital company that now offers free science-based predictions on rising sea levels along Georgia’s coast.
Posted inColumns
Infrastructure is key to Georgia’s economy
By Guest Columnist SETH MILLICAN, executive director of the Georgia Transportation Alliance
“If you build it, they will come,” isn’t just a catch phrase from a beloved baseball movie. It’s the philosophy that made Atlanta and Georgia the economic juggernaut of the Southeast.
Posted inLatest News
Georgia cities to Congress: We need some public works spending
The nation’s mayors have infrastructure on their minds, according to a new report from the National League of Cities. But mayors aren’t the only ones calling on Washington, D.C. to help out with paying for things like water works, roads and broadband.
Posted inColumns
Modernizing transit is an economic must-do for the U.S./metro Atlanta
By Lyle V. Harris
MARTA, the backbone of metro Atlanta’s once-and-future transit network, is facing a $2.2 billion backlog of assets in need of replacement such as vehicles, systems and other infrastructure to meet the region’s growing transportation needs. While it’s not much comfort, MARTA is hardly alone in that respect.
Posted inColumns
Atlanta’s potholes: Repair crews added while some consider new ‘pothole posse’
Potholes and the metal plates that cover some of them are enough of a problem that one member of the Atlanta City Council has suggested the city consider reconvening the “pothole posse” formed by then Mayor Shirley Franklin to fix crumbling streets.
Posted inUncategorized
ARC Sets the Record Straight on Metro Atlanta Traffic
You may have read about the recent Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard, which ranked metro Atlanta’s traffic congestion as the 8th-worst globally. While that made headlines here, there’s a lot more to the story: Atlanta fares much better using another Inrix measure The Inrix report also ranks regions by percentage of driving time spent in congestion. In […]
Posted inColumns
Harvey shows need for national infrastructure plan; use Georgia as P3 model
By Guest Columnist MARK BURKHALTER, a board member of the Georgia Department of Transportation
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the stress on our nation’s infrastructure is now more pronounced than ever as collapsed roads and bridges in Texas and Louisiana make it impossible for many residents to get on with their lives.
Posted inLatest News
Crumbling sidewalks anger, endanger Atlantans
Years after the city inventoried millions of dollars in sidewalks and ramps that need work, plenty of obstacles still stand between Atlanta and accessibility.
