Mayor Kasim Reed and officials with Atlanta Beltline Partnership want voters — well, the majority of voters — to know they’re real proud of y’all.
Results of Tuesday’s overwhelming passage of both the TSPLOST (68 percent) and MARTA sales tax (72 percent), prompted both the Beltline agency and Hizzoner to, respectively, reach out to the masses.
"Funding from these measures will enable us to take major steps forward in improving and enhancing Atlanta’s overall transportation system and advancing completion of the Atlanta Beltline," stated a news release from the Atlanta Beltline Partnership — an organization that raises funds and engages the public for the cause.
In a statement echoing similar sentiments, Reed said that by approving the referenda, voters "put the city of Atlanta in a position to be proactive, flexible and adaptable. We’re laying the groundwork now to ensure we can build the city of the future that we all want."
Added Reed: "Atlanta is making the right kind of changes and the right progress. [On Tuesday night] Atlanta chose to keep our momentum going."
The approved, half-cent MARTA sales tax is expected to generate $2.5 billion for new train stations and other services (plus expanded streetcar routes and light-rail on the Beltline) over the next four decades.
The .4-percent TSPLOST will last up to five years. From that pot, expect new parks, better sidewalks, more bike lanes and — crucially — the $66-million purchase of remaining right-of-way around the entire 22-mile Beltline oval.
The eventual total of $2.8 billion positions Atlanta among the top of U.S. peers when it comes to infrastructural and transportation investment, officials have said.
Meanwhile, downtown Atlanta's magnificent Corey Tower smokestack is clearly enthused about another outcome of Tuesday's election, projecting this image down upon The Connector:
- Approval of the TSPLOST and MARTA Expansion Referenda [city of Atlanta]
[Corey Tower photo: Curbed Atlanta]
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