Streetcar, Beltline, MARTA improvements top Atlanta’s transportation-tax wishlist
All for a grand total of $3.264 billion
Today’s the deadline for cities and counties to submit the road, bridge and transit projects they’d like to see funded by the one-cent sales tax voters will decide in 2012.
We just got our hands on Atlanta’s official list, which you can download here.
Among the proposed projects:
>> First on the list is the most expensive — and one we’ve known about for some time. The city wants $1.1 billion to design, construct and operate what’s listed as the “Atlanta Beltline Streetcar Circulator,” which actually includes several transit projects.
UPDATE, 2:41 p.m. Beltline officials say that includes transit along both the west and east sides of the project. Along the $2.8 billion project’s western side, transit would snake from the Oakland City MARTA station to North Avenue and then venture intown to the North Avenue MARTA station. A spur line would travel south on Luckie Street and connect to the downtown streetcar near Centennial Olympic Park.
On the Beltline’s eastern side, transit would basically link Armour Yard near Lindbergh to Glenwood Park. Spurs would head intown at 10th Street, North or Ponce de Leon avenues, and Irwin Street. The latter spur would link to the downtown streetcar near the King Center. Atlanta Beltline Inc., the nonprofit group tasked with designing the proposed 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit, will decide the final alignment, so some details could change.
(Another proposal to connect the Beltline to the Arts Center via Atlantic Station was dismissed because of possible construction and engineering issues near Howell Junction, which is like the downtown connector for freight trains. What’s more, Cobb County had already proposed a light-rail project linking Cumberland Mall to the Arts Center. That line would pass through Atlantic Station. The city opted to support that project.)