Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed Atlanta’s chief of road and transportation construction projects to the board that oversees GRTA, which advises on Xpress bus service in metro Atlanta and authorizes state and federal spending on transportation in metro Atlanta.
Last year, Atlanta voters approved new sales taxes to pay for transportation and transit builds. This year, mayoral candidates are talking about what they would do in a city that’s raising cash, is predicting a lot of new residents and that aims to attract big employers.
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.
The demonstration project hasn’t even opened, and Atlanta already is expanding its deal with the Georgia Tech Research Alliance to crunch data in an effort to move commuters – whether by foot, bike or vehicle – more quickly and safely through the busy North Avenue corridor.
This hardly seems a good time for Georgia to update its transportation spending plan, given the drama in Washington. For starters, President Trump is attacking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the husband of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao – who is rumored to be considering resigning her post.
Atlanta’s first transportation corridor of the future is to be established in Southwest Atlanta along Campbellton Road by the city and MARTA. Naturally, a computer and the internet of things are at the heart of the effort.
MARTA expects to save a total of $41.6 million in future interest costs by refinancing $250 million in bonds that were sold in 2009. Part of the money was to have helped pay for a long-envisioned bus that would travel in a dedicated lane
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
The Georgia Department of Transportation, along with City of Atlanta and Little Five Points Community Improvement District, has been working to transform a half-mile section of Moreland Avenue (U.S. 23/Ga. 42) from a traditional urban highway to a Complete Street. A Complete Street usually involves a road diet, to provide a safer corridor for all modes of transportation. What is unique about this corridor is that Moreland Avenue is a six-lane roadway passing through one of Atlanta’s more pedestrian active business districts, Little Five Points.
A new report from the real estate firm CBRE on lessons learned from the collapse of Interstate 85 in Atlanta shows that telecommuting played a greater role than MARTA in helping employees continue their work while avoiding traffic congestion.
Atlanta and Midtown Alliance are collaborating on an effort to make the northern stretch of Spring Street more inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists. The city issued a request for engineering proposals Monday and Midtown Alliance released it Tuesday.
By Guest Columnist KEVIN H. POSEY, an advocate for sustainable transportation and urban development practices worldwide
Atlanta is notorious for being a car-dependent city. Whether it’s minor snowstorms that create scenes akin to a bad disaster movie or burning bridges made of steel and concrete – materials not known for their combustibility – Atlanta’s car addiction is now in the same league as that of legendary Los Angeles. But in a revolutionary change of direction, the bike is being elevated as a legitimate way to get around for those of us who wouldn’t be caught dead in Lycra.
By Guest Columnist ANDRE DICKENS, a member of the Atlanta City Council who serves the entire city
Every day, Atlantans share our roads and rails with our 5.7-million-person region. How you get to work, school, and home matters to me – is it stress-free, smooth, safe, and predictable?
Gov. Nathan Deal and a host of civic and business leaders are slated to break ground this morning on a $100 million expansion of the headquarters of Jackson Healthcare, a healthcare staffing company that intends to add 1,400 employees over the next five years.
GRTA passengers are eligible for a 50 percent discount on a shared Uber ride for trips that begin or end at an Xpress Park-and-Ride lot during weekday commute hours. The promotion runs through May 31, GRTA announced today.
Transportation options.
Never have those two words held as much meaning for Atlanta as they do now. The Friday collapse of a section of Interstate 85 – has severed a key transportation artery for the region.
Immediately, and with good reason, there were pleas for us to get serious about regional rail transit – once and for all. A silver lining of this manmade disaster is the probability that transit will gain momentum during this transportation debacle.
Atlanta is moving forward with plans to synchronize traffic signals as part of its effort to improve the flow of vehicles along key corridors.
Efforts to improve opportunities for disadvantaged businesses to get contracts from the Georgia Department of Transportation haven’t leveled the playing field, according to comments made at meetings held around the state in 2016.
Editor’s note: This is the first of two stories that will examine a disparity report prepared for Georgia’s Department of Transportation. Part 2: Business owners comment on GDOT’s current practices.
Georgia’s Department of Transportation could be deemed guilty of racial and gender discrimination when it comes to the purchase of goods and services, according to a little-noted disparity report delivered to GDOT in August 2016. The Equal Access Committee of GDOT’s board is to get an update on the report at its meeting Wednesday.
President-elect Trump’s plan to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investment may coalesce just as the finishing touches are made to the proposal for a high-speed railroad to connect Atlanta and Chattanooga.
Regionalism took a big hit in July 2012 when the 10 counties in the Atlanta region defeated the Transportation Investment Act – a proposed one-cent sales tax for 10 years.
Since then, most transportation and economic development initiatives have been led by individual counties or cities while regionalism has taken a back seat.
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