Transportation Roundtable to Vote on Final Project List

October 13th, 2011

Metro Atlanta’s transportation roundtable will vote Friday on a final project list for July’s sales tax referendum.

A fragile consensus has been reached about how to allocate the $6.1 billion of revenue that would fill local coffers if voters approve the sales tax.

Transit along the Clifton corridor is fully-funded. So is a roadway project to improve Sugarloaf Parkway. And all MARTA funding remains in tact.

On the other hand, DeKalb’s project to run a rail line along I-20 is only half-funded. And Cobb will only receive 60 percent of the funding for its Cumberland rail line.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed expects the project list to be approved today. The next challenge will be to make sure roundtable leaders keep in mind regional goals when selling the plan to local constituents.

“This process has really been tough. It’s 21 elected officials and every single time we have a vote you have to deal with your local political concerns so holding everybody in the boat is the next step,” said Reed.

The final vote takes place at 11am in downtown Atlanta and is open to the public.