On Tuesday Governor Nathan Deal signed into law SB 369, a bill initially meant to change firework regulations but which was altered in the closing hours of Sine Die to allow the City of Atlanta to vote for a half-percent sales tax increase to expand MARTA.
A mock of light rail along the Beltline near Ponce City Market
The bill had a long and tumultuous journey over the course of the 2016 session, initially being killed in committee by legislators from North Fulton who continue to be leery at the notion of expanding public transportation. SB 369 wound up being a compromise, with the proposed sales tax increase estimated to raise about $2.5 billion, a far cry from the nearly $8 billion that would have come from the full initial bill had both Fulton and DeKalb Counties voted in favor of it.
MARTA now heads to the drawing board to come up with plans for the money, with the initial drafts expected to be presented around the end of May. The rumored designs, as alluded to by MARTA Board Chairman Robbie Ashe last month, will build out light rail along the city’s wildly popular Beltline trail on both the East and West sides of the city. Light rail, (think street car vs. the typical MARTA trains as they exist today on heavy railways) would connect Eastside neighborhoods like Virginia Highlands and Inman Park with each other as well as make it easier for residents and visitors to travel between downtown and midtown.
Light rail along the Beltline
Should the referendum pass in November, as it is expected to, MARTA will take another big step in its grand plan to expand public transportation in Atlanta and better connect this sprawling city.
