By Lyle V. Harris
I’m writing today, likely the last time for a while on these pages, in dedication to my late father, Vincent Grover (Hoffman) Harris
First of all, Happy Birthday to you, Pop! Vince, as most everyone called him, would have been 96-years-old today. Although we never made a fuss over our birthdays while he was alive, I think he might forgive me, just this once.
A tug-of-war has emerged over how to invest the $2.5 billion More MARTA funding in the City of Atlanta.
Sadly, a divided mindset has developed on how to invest those dollars – pitting one group against another.
Authority Reduces Variable Rate Debt by Almost $60 Million The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Board of Directors voted to approve a refunding of $176.8 million of variable rate bonds replaced with fixed rate bonds and a new issue of $117.5 million of variable rate debt. MARTA General Manager & CEO Jeffrey Parker announced, […]
MARTA is recommending a commuter rail line to serve Clayton County.
At MARTA’s Planning and External Relations Committee meeting Wednesday, members of MARTA’s board heard a presentation on the “locally preferred alternative” to bring high capacity transit to Clayton County.
Georgia’s majority-Republican legislature has warmed to mass transit funding in metro Atlanta and other areas — a bit. Some of the GOP contenders for top office are more on board with the trend than others.
As MARTA ponders how to spend a new Atlanta sales tax worth $2.5 billion over 40 years, BeltLine rail advocates say a ring of rail belongs at the top of the priority list.
By Guest Columnist CARL HOLT, an avid promoter of bicycling who volunteered as project manager for the installation of Atlanta’s first bike corral, in the Kirkwood neighborhood
Gov. Nathan Deal stood at the North Wing stairs of the Georgia State Capitol on June 19 to announce the State of Georgia will issue $100 million bonds for a bus rapid transit project in North Fulton County. Deal was surrounded by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (a candidate for governor), House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), and a group of elected officials representing the state and Fulton County.
DeKalb County’s CEO has stepped back from a statement that his nominee to MARTA’s board of directors would be the county’s first African American female to serve on the board – presuming her nomination is confirmed.
The next phase of PATH 400 is to be a trail alongside Atlanta’s own version of Okefenokee Swamp, a wetlands in Buckhead complete with beaver dams. Just four years ago, this stretch of trail appeared to be little more than gilding on a dream. Now, construction is funded and awaits just a go-ahead from Norfolk Southern Corp.
DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has nominated Rita Scott, the district president of the Communications Workers of America, to represent DeKalb on MARTA’s board of directors.
As metro Atlanta is poised for a mass transit Renaissance, boosters for the sprawling, “southern crescent” sub-region known as Aerotropolis want to ensure that those who live, work, and play near the world’s busiest airport are ahead of the curve and innovating for the future.
Gwinnett has an opportunity to do what it should have done 47 years ago – join MARTA.
The Gwinnett County Commission is looking to pass a transit plan this week that would significantly increase its public transportation investment.
By Guest Columnist GEOFF DUNCAN, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor
For anyone who lives in metro Atlanta, there isn’t a day that goes by that their greatest nemesis – traffic congestion – isn’t a topic of conversation.
For far too many of us, just figuring out how we get from Point A to Point B has become the greatest challenge of living and working in this region. INRIX, the transportation analytics firm, ranked Atlanta’s congestion the fourth worst in the nation last year and eighth worst in the world.
A state that’s been reluctant to bankroll buses and the train in its biggest metro has announced a major mass transit spend by Georgia standards — $100 million. That’ll be a substantial downpayment on rapid bus service along Ga. 400.
Even with more than $7 billion in transit and road construction on the books in metro Atlanta, the future of mobility improvements is soon to be developed in Chamblee and along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, in Gwinnett County.
The next generation of transportation technology is to be developed in Chamblee and Gwinnett County, which on Tuesday were awarded cash grants and year-long technical support from a Georgia Tech research team. They were among the four winners of the first Georgia Smart Communities Challenge.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) recently hosted its annual Development Day at the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). The event, sponsored by MARTA’s Office of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Real Estate, featured a legislative update from MARTA Board of Directors Chairman Robert L. Ashe. MARTA General Manager & CEO Jeffrey Parker provided an […]
The Xpress commuter bus system that operates in 12 metro counties is phasing out its magnetic ticket system as of Dec. 31 and shifting to the Breeze card. The move is an early step in the effort to unify the transit systems that serve 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.
The public awareness campaign for the ATL and metro Atlanta’s new transit project is starting. The central message that’s emerging is that transit will be improved even if voters don’t approve more funding via sales taxes.
