Is it do-or-die time for transit expansion in Gwinnett County?

In this 2011 file photo, riders board the express bus to downtown Atlanta in the early morning at the Sugarloaf Mills Park & Ride in Gwinnett County. Bob Andres/bandres@ajc.com

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

In this 2011 file photo, riders board the express bus to downtown Atlanta in the early morning at the Sugarloaf Mills Park & Ride in Gwinnett County. Bob Andres/bandres@ajc.com

Charlotte Nash wants her county to have some sort of expanded transit options, and she needs the buy-in of voters — because, for an already bustling county that’s expected to add nearly half a million more people by 2040, it could be now or never.

"Some people think [transit expansion] can happen a lot quicker than it can," said Nash, Gwinnett's commission chairman. She wants the county to have some kind transportation referendum on the ballot in 2018.

“… It’s going to be a long, drawn-out process. And if we don’t get started soon, it means it’s just going to be that much harder to get done.”

The Atlanta Regional Commission projects that, by 2040, Gwinnett will boast more than 1.35 million residents, an influx of nearly 500,000 people. Projections show the county only getting denser along already crowded corridors like I-85, Ga. 316, Buford Highway and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.

Gwinnett recently began in earnest a comprehensive transit development plan, a months-long study to determine what kind of transit additions might be most feasible, and palatable, for the county.

The results could help determine how well the county is able to provide for its residents in the future.

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The AJC's Tyler Estep keeps you updated on the latest happenings in Gwinnett County government and politics. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

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