The first version of President Donald Trump’s 2018 fiscal year budget could pose quite the problem for Atlanta’s ambitious public transportation plans.
The budget, which still has to make it through Congress, would put a halt on the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts program, which is used by municipalities to receive matching federal dollars on local transit programs. The City of Atlanta was hoping to receive that money to match that raised by the .5 cent MARTA sales tax hike that Atlantans approved in November of last year.
Currently the tax is expected to raise $2.5 – $3 billion of revenue for MARTA, which would be used on a series of projects including light rail along parts of the BeltLine, expanding the much-maligned Atlanta Streetcar, and eventually building new heavy rail lines toward Alpharetta and Emory. While the ‘shovel ready’ parts of that plan should be able to go on as scheduled, the more expensive and distant portions are at risk should the city not receive matching funds from the New Starts program.
Other cities with similar transportation plans such as Buffalo, Durham, and Seattle face concerns as well as they too hoped to receive matching funds for their projects.
The budget however is far from settled though, it will surely undergo a series of changes as it works its way through Congress, even one that is Republican controlled. While Republican policy seeks to remove Federal funding from most local transportation projects, there could be pushback from enough Democrats and urban Republicans to keep additional funding for the FTA.
