MARTA will postpone a decision about the final project list for its planned Atlanta expansion, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned.
The MARTA Board of Directors was scheduled to vote on a final list at its Sept. 6 meeting. But Assistant General Manager Ben Limmer told the AJC Thursday the vote would be delayed until October to give the agency more time to digest public feedback on a proposed list.
Atlanta voters approved a half-penny sales tax to expand MARTA in 2016. That same year, the Atlanta City Council approved a list of $11.5 billion in potential projects.
But the sales tax is only expected to raise $2.5 billion over 40 years. Even with federal matching funds, the sales tax won't be enough to pay for every project on the list of potential projects.
In May, MARTA unveiled a $2.5 billion plan to build 21 miles of light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit lines, other bus improvements, two new transit centers and renovation of existing stations. Among other things, the plan includes light rail along the Clifton Corridor and Campbellton Road and a third of the Atlanta Beltline light rail loop.
You can read the full list of proposed projects here. You can read the list of projects that didn't make the cut here.
This summer MARTA has held a series of community meetings to solicit input on the proposal. They will continue through next week.
The agency also is distributing information about its plan at MARTA stations. And residents can weigh by taking an online survey.
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