A proposed transit line in Cobb County took a beating at a public hearing Wednesday night in Kennesaw. Most of the night’s speakers, including host Rep. Ed Setzler, said they opposed the project and don’t want to pay for it.
The transit line, possibly light rail, is part of Cobb’s almost $1 billion of projects on a draft list for a proposed regional transportation tax that will go before voters next year. The majority, or about 85.7 percent, of Cobb’s proposed funding is designated for a $856.5 million transit line from the Arts Center MARTA station to the Cumberland area.
Meeting hosts, Setzler, chairman of Cobb’s state delegation, and Sen. Lindsay Tippins (R-Marietta) said the transit line is too expensive, will not alleviate traffic and does not benefit a large portion of county residents.
Setzler, (R-Acworth) is proposing a combination of a commuter rail line through the county using existing CSX rail lines and grade-separated “super arterials” along 35 miles of Cobb’s major corridors that would remove traffic lights and allow for a continuous flow of traffic. Using statistics from a 2007 Metro Atlanta Chamber study, the commuter rail line would reduce traffic congestion by about 10 percent, would cost about $42 million and could run from Cartersville through Marietta and into Atlanta. The alternative could be completed for about the same cost as the proposed Cumberland line. Setzler is pushing his plans behind the scenes to some other Cobb leaders and some members of the regional roundtable who will decide the final regional transportation project list in October.
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