Politics & Government
CEO Ellis, Commissioners Lobby to Keep I-20 Rail Project Atlanta Roundtable List
Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable recently voted to partially fund the project.
Immediately following a recent press conference, CEO Burrell Ellis, several DeKalb County Commissioners and other supporters traveled to Atlanta to meet with the executive committee of the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable. The goal: to present a united front in opposition to the recommendation that the I-20 Rail Corridor project be excluded from its list of projects.
Subsequently, the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable voted to partially fund the project and recently submitted a $6.14 billion project list to the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) which was approved.
The Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable was formed as a result of the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 and the I-20 Corridor project was one of several transportation projects being considered by the Roundtable. According to the Transportation Investment Act of 2010, “elected officials in each of the state's 12 regions will develop a list of projects to be funded by a one percent sales tax. Georgians will vote on the tax in the 2012 primary elections.”
Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The I-20 Rail Project would involve the construction of light rail along I-20 from Atlanta to Stonecrest Mall at a cost of $1.35 billion. An additional $465-million would be spent to bring light rail from Decatur to the Lindberg MARTA station in Atlanta.
“We are in support of comprehensive transit for the region. We want to make sure that all areas of the county that are significantly populated get sufficient transportation. We need to get people to jobs. It’s critical to serving our citizens," Ellis said.
Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“This project is not just about this section of DeKalb County. For a host of reasons, this [project] makes good economic sense. Looking at this from a regional perspective, the core project is about relieving traffic congestion,” he said.
Commissioners Stan Watson (Super District 7), Larry Johnson (District 3), and Lee May (District 5), whose districts would be directly affected if the rail project was excluded, each weighed in on the situation during the August 9 press conference.
“We have paid [our] one penny sales tax to support MARTA transit. We’ve been good, strong regional partners. We want to see our investment paid back to DeKalb County. It will take $520 million dollars to get heavy rail to Wesley Chapel Road and we should not be fighting for anything less than that," May said.
“We could find ourselves paying a two cent tax with no direct benefit from it. There is no project better than the I-20 project and we want that included [in the proposal]. I cannot be supportive of the transportation referendum if the I-20 rail project is not included," May continued.
“We have been a key stakeholder in healthcare and in transportation”, said Super District 7 Commissioner Stan Watson. “We have invested our future and our dollars. This is a collective effort to say no to anything that doesn’t include the I-20 Project.”
“We want to make sure that the I-20 corridor is respected and included," added Commissioner Larry Johnson, District 3. "We believe that if we don’t have rail we cannot support an additional penny [tax].”
State Representative Ronald Ramsey (District 43) and several local organizational leaders were also in attendance to show support for the I-20 corridor rail project.
“We must ensure that DeKalb County has its place at the table”, Senator Ramsey said.
John Evans, President of the NAACP DeKalb County Branch, and an adamant supporter of the rail transportation project, also addressed the audience. “It’s a disgrace for the roundtable to not include I-20 in the plan. There’s no way we will support an additional penny tax. We know what has happened over the years to blacks in this county and we will not support anything that’s leaving us out.”
David Schutten, President of Organization of DeKalb Educators (ODE) and another supporter of the rail project, added these words: “Without the I-20 rail corridor [project] this one penny sales tax has no chance. It will not pass the region without citizens of DeKalb County.”
“We are standing together as a coalition. We are diverse, but we are standing together as [one] county. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we cannot miss the boat”, concluded Commissioner Larry Johnson.
For more information about the Atlanta Regional Roundtable and the Transportation Investment Act, visit their website at http://www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com/index.html.
