Transportation list changes on tap

The transportation plan for metro Atlanta’s referendum next year is close to finished. But final changes to be made over the next week -- perhaps Thursday -- could reshape significant areas of the region, advocates argue.

DeKalb County commissioners want a rail line along eastern I-20. That won’t happen under the plan that was drafted Aug. 15, which provides only enough money to fund bus stations and specialized commuter bus service in that corridor. But DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis proposes to raise that project from $225 million to $522 million, which might build more. The extra money would be taken from road projects up north on Ga. 400.

In contrast, other proposals would take money from rail projects, diminishing the chances of the Cobb rail line or MARTA repairs. That money would go to Georgia Regional Transportation Authority commuter bus service (also known as Xpress bus service) or road projects.

Under state law, the final project list for the referendum, which is tied to a 10-year, 1 percent sales tax, must be finalized by Oct. 15. The tax is expected to raise $6.1 billion for projects of regional significance.

Here are the amendments on the table for Thursday, and the counties of the officials who proposed them:

Rockdale County proposal

• Take $5 million from Cobb rail line for Parker Road widening in Rockdale.
• Take $10 million from Cobb rail line for Sigman Road widening for bike path.

Cobb County proposal

• Take $271.5 million from Cobb rail line for other Cobb projects, including I-75/Windy Hill Road interchange, Roswell Road improvements, Cobb Parkway/Windy Hill interchange, others; and $107 million for "premium transit bus service" from Acworth to MARTA Arts Center station.

Clayton County proposal

• Take $27.8 million from the Tara Boulevard "super arterial" project to do $20 million in preliminary work on southern commuter rail line, and small increases in a handful of Clayton road projects.

DeKalb County proposal

• Take $297 million from Ga. 400 projects at I-285 and just north of there and give it to eastern I-20 project for possible rail line.

Fulton County proposal

• Take $3.5 million from Fulton Industrial Boulevard project for Butner Road projects at Camp Creek Parkway.
• Take $10 million from a project to add sorting lanes on Ga. 400, and widen Hammond Drive.

Douglas and Henry counties proposal

• Take $34.5 million from 10 MARTA repair projects in order to fund regional Xpress bus service.