Gwinnett County is launching an 18-month mass transit study officials hope could lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding and less congestion in the I-85 corridor.
The $1.1 million study will examine a host of options - light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit and other means of getting commuters off the interstate at rush hour. Ultimately, it will determine which method works best and pave the way for more detailed engineering and environmental reviews that would be funded by next year’s transportation sales tax initiative.
The preliminary study also will take the pulse of a county where voters twice rejected MARTA, but where some business leaders and residents now are warming to mass transit.
Supporters say mass transit could not only improve mobility but also boost the economy of metro Atlanta’s second-largest county.
“It’s about addressing jobs and the kind of business we want to bring to Gwinnett County,” said Chuck Warbington, executive director of the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District.
Others remain skeptical of mass transit.
“It will never pay for itself,” said Steve Ramey of the Founding Fathers Tea Party Patriots. “It’s an albatross.”
In Tuesday's newspaper, the AJC takes a deep look at whether Georgia' second-largest county might be warming to the idea of light rail or other transit alternatives. It's a story you'll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper's iPad app. Subscribe today.
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