DeKalb County residents can give their take Wednesday on the proposed list of road and transit projects that would be covered with a new penny sales tax up for a vote next year.
One expected issue: getting trains running in south DeKalb. Some county leaders and activists have already pledged to fight the proposed tax if a 5-mile rail line known as the I-20 project isn’t included in the final list.
“It's very important that we have that line protected and respected,” said Larry Johnson, the County Commission's presiding officer. “It is vital for this entire region, from Rockdale and Henry [counties] to south DeKalb and beyond.”
The draft list of $6.1 billion in projects of regional significance includes $225 million for the proposed link between the Indian Creek MARTA station and Wesley Chapel Road. That’s only about a third of the projected cost and covers engineering work and park-and-ride stations for likely later rail stops.
But the county wins big on another proposed transit project. The draft includes $700 million for a train line between Decatur and Lindbergh, along the Clifton Road corridor.
That is in addition to another 16 projects of the 150 on the list that are in DeKalb. Others include $26.5 million for interchange improvements at Spaghetti Junction and $27 million to realign Sigman Road in neighboring Rockdale County to Hayden Quarry Road in DeKalb, providing an alternative to the busy Turner Hill Road exit off of I-20.
“It's really going to depend on what this final project list is going to look like, but I think we are at a good place," said CEO Burrell Ellis. "We know where we want Atlanta to go. It's going to take regional thinking to get us there."
Members of the regional roundtable -- 21 mayors and county commissioners from across the 10-county region -- are expected to provide that thinking and must finalize the list by Oct. 15.
Wednesday’s forum in DeKalb is one of a dozen being held across the region this month. It runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Manuel Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur.
Those who can't attend can comment on the roundtable's website: www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com.
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