Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Atlanta

$8 Billion Expansion of Atlanta Transit Clears First Hurdle

This dream map of Atlanta transit is looking more and more possible. Map: Jason Lathbury via Curbed
This dream map of Atlanta transit is looking more and more possible. Map: Jason Lathbury via Curbed
This dream map of Atlanta transit is looking more and more possible. Map: Jason Lathbury via Curbed

Atlanta's regional transit network, MARTA, isn't known as a dynamic, growing system. While cities as varied as D.C., Minneapolis, and Houston have rolled out new high-capacity transit routes, MARTA has stagnated.

But has MARTA's moment finally come? The prospects of major transit improvements for the region are looking more hopeful today than they have for a generation.

Last week a Georgia Senate committee passed a bill that would allow Fulton, Dekalb, and Clayton counties to levy a half-cent sales tax for transit over the next 40 years. The measure, if approved by voters, would generate $8 billion in capital funding to expand MARTA.

The above map from Curbed Atlanta shows what might be on the table in an $8 billion MARTA expansion. All of the specifics still need to be negotiated.

It could include extending the Red Line with commuter rail up Georgia 400 to Alpharetta, or extending light rail to the northeast side of the city, serving Emory University and the CDC. The measure could also fund a rail line along the city's circular Beltline, Curbed reports, or extend rail or bus rapid transit eastward, as far as Conyers.

Meanwhile, a series of public opinion polls shows that Atlanta area voters, even suburban ones, are coming around to idea of expanding MARTA. In fact, many polls show they strongly favor it.

According to a poll commissioned by the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta area voters of all stripes support greater transit investment to ease congestion.
According to a poll commissioned by the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta area voters of all stripes support greater transit investment to reduce traffic.
According to a poll commissioned by the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta area voters of all stripes support greater transit investment to ease congestion.

"We’re seeing a really interesting demographic shift in popularity around transit," Candler Vinson of CNU's Atlanta chapter told Streetsblog.

Vinson says one caveat is that suburban voters do not favor the proposal if it doesn't include commuter rail.

Before it can be put to voters, the sales tax measure has to make it through both houses of the state legislature in Georgia's "Gold Dome," which has been notoriously hostile to transit. There is currently no bill in the Georgia House.

The measure has the backing of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. And a new advocacy group Advance Atlanta has been leading efforts to promote its passage in the statehouse.

One encouraging sign, says Vinson, is that Senate bill sponsor Brandon Beach is a Republican from suburban Alpharetta. Vinson said he expects a vote on the issue from the full Senate in the next week or two.

Copy corrected February 25 at 9:20 a.m. Originally referred to Beltline as Beltway "Gold Dome" as "Golden Dome."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Thursday’s Headlines Are Charged Up for the Fourth

The Republican megabill is bad for the electric vehicle industry, but it could be worse.

July 3, 2025

Why is the Secretary of Transportation Begging Americans to Take More Road Trips?

Instead of making America easier to see on all modes, the US Department of Transportation is encouraging U.S. residents to just get in their cars and drive.

July 3, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

From mothers with babies in strollers to preteens on bikes, much of the U.S. is hostile to families just trying to get around without a car.

July 2, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025
See all posts