Nearly 100 people on Wednesday night attended a transportation forum in Sandy Springs, and some questioned how a Ga. 400 widening project and MARTA Emory rail extension would benefit the northern suburbs.
John Orr, Fulton County senior transportation planner, said the Emory rail line would give the region better access to the university, the CDC and the hospital complex.
"We work as a region," Orr said. "Folks live in north Fulton and work in Gwinnett. As a region, we move around."
Sponsored by the Atlanta Regional Roundtable, the TSPLOST forum at the North Fulton Service Center was one of 12 held around the region to collect feedback on the $6.14 billion in regional road projects that would be funded if voters pass a referendum on a 1 percent sales tax in the 10-county metro region.
Most questions in Sandy Springs, submitted in advance from residents, dealt with the roundtable selection process for the draft list of projects that must be finalized by Oct. 15.
Key city officials in metro Atlanta's northern suburbs have criticized the list, saying residents there will not get a full return on their investment. They have raised objections to Atlanta's $600 million Beltline project, which they say has dubious regional benefit.
The Beltline issue was not raised on Wednesday night, but partisanship was evident in the questions. One person asked why north Fulton residents should pay to widen Ga. 400 so those who live in Forsyth County will have an easier commute. Another person question wanted to know how the MARTA rail extension would specifically benefit the region.
In Cobb County, where a proposed light rail line has been the focus of that county’s project list, a similar roundtable meeting held Tuesday night yielded the largest turnout so far with close to 200 attendees.
Similar to other TSPLOST meetings hosted by county leaders, organized groups of Cobb supporters and opponents to the proposed rail line had their say. Cobb’s largest TSPLOST project, an $856 million transit line and possibly light rail, would run from the Cumberland area to the Arts Center MARTA station.
Opponents have said the line would not relieve traffic congestion or benefit most of the county because most of the route lies in Fulton County. Supporters said the line is necessary for economic development.
The structured meeting limited public comment, but rumblings about the transit line were met throughout the meeting with questions about the actual benefit to county residents, responsibility for cost overruns and other feasible alternatives.
Despite the opposition, the time has come for Cobb to enter the 21st century, Marietta resident David Mitcham said.
“I’ve grown up in Cobb and I love it, but it could be so much more,” said Mitcham, 27, who commutes to work each day in Stone Mountain in DeKalb County. “The area has gone from the boonies to very developed, and rail would help us keep up with that development.”
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