Lee said the latest proposal now promotes an Acworth-Midtown bus line. Whether the rail line ever becomes a reality, instead of a widely criticized plan, will depend on two factors: the results of the county’s “Alternative Analysis” transit study due in February 2013; and whether the county receives federal dollars for the rail line. The county now intends to spend most of its TSPLOST dollars on upgrading an Acworth-Midtown bus line.
The rail line “for the moment has been put on the back burner as we seek out the results of the AA and alternative funding. If that becomes available then we’ll talk about it,” Lee said.
The project list now earmarks $689 million for Cobb’s bus/rail proposal. The draft list that the roundtable’s five-member executive committee approved in August included $865.5 million for the Cumberland-Midtown rail line.
“At the end of the day, if funding becomes available and if AA brings it to fruition, we’ll consider looking at the light rail down the line,” Lee said. “If funding doesn’t become available, or the AA doesn’t point that way, then we’ll continue with the Bus Rapid Transit as our final deliverable.”
Lee said his new proposal came after listening to citizens such as state Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R-west Cobb), who questioned the wisdom of spending $865.5 million on a rail line that wouldn’t be operational for at least a decade, when Cobb County residents are suffering from traffic congestion in “the here and now.”
The proposal addresses “the here and now in terms of road projects, the here and now in terms of transit,” Lee said. “We can get buses up and running, mind you, on a corridor that has excessive demand for our current system. This will help, I think, not only demand for our corridor of people in Cobb, but it will be a viable alternative for folks that live in Cherokee and Bartow counties that travel through our community to get to 75 or wherever they’re going.”
Faye DiMassimo, director of Cobb’s transportation department, said that $689 million earmark for “enhanced premium transit service” breaks down into $110 million for bus service from Acworth to the MARTA Arts Center Station and the remaining $579 million for whatever transit service the AA study recommends, be it bus rapid transit or light rail.
DiMassimo acknowledged that the county, in conjunction with the Georgia Regional Transit Authority, already operates bus service from Acworth.
“We’re working with GRTA as to how those express routes would transition into this service,” she said. “This would be a more coordinated, fully integrated, commuter-directed type service in that corridor than what we presently have.”
Other big ticket projects that were approved as part of the Lee/Mathews proposal include:
n $89.5 million to improve the Windy Hill Road and Cobb Parkway intersection;
n $47 million to improve the Windy Hill Road and I-75 intersection;
n $29 million to improve Lake Acworth Drive/SR 92, a regional roadway connecting Cobb Parkway with I-75.
Mathews said after the meeting that he was pleased.
“I think we’ve done a good job at dealing with what was handed to us by the legislature and picking projects that impact the region as well as projects that impact us locally in Cobb County and in the Kennesaw area as well,” Mathews said. “We’ve done exactly what we’ve been asked to do, and I’m pleased with the project list that we’ve got.”
Four of the 21 members on the roundtable voted against the Lee/Mathews proposal. They were: Fulton’s representatives, County Chairman John Eaves and Union City Mayor Ralph Moore; Rockdale County Chairman Richard Oden; and Lake City Mayor Willie Oswalt of Clayton County.
A proposal by Rockdale Commission Chairman Oden seeking to take $10 million for a bike path and another $5 million for a road-widening project from the $984 million allocated to Cobb failed, with only Oden and his fellow Rockdale representative, Conyers Mayor Randy Mills, voting in favor.
Other amendments that seek to take funding from Cobb were tabled until the next meeting on Tuesday. A final vote on all projects in the $6.14 billion list is slated for Thursday.
Mathews said while it is possible Cobb’s list could be revised at the Thursday meeting, he thinks it is unlikely.
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Yes, that is the point of a "regional" approach - don't forget that no one would live in the backwards backwaters of Cobb County, GA if it wasn't for the CITY of Atlanta (and its jobs/airport/schools) nearby. Time to enter the 21st century, Cobb.
This weekend I rode my bike 15 miles through the City of Boston - all on safe, dedicated bike lanes, from my house past my work, through parks and to various T stops, to the front steps of Neiman Marcus and other stores, and along the river path to other towns. It was a beautiful ride. I just moved from Atlanta and boy do I feel sorry for you folks, you have no idea how much better it could be if you would just think regionally and about something other than 20th century highway solutions.
I'm not going to argue whether Lee is right or wrong, whether rail is right or wrong etc.
BUT let's put one thing to rest: There is crime on Marta. And please do not try to argue it is confined to buses and does not occur on rail.
Is there crime on CCT buses? Well yeah. But do you want to invite more of it of the magnitude that the vocal majority of Marta drivers live in fear of for their very lives?
I hate that the bus system is a money loser. The system needs more passengers. If the fares were get much higher, I'll go back to driving.
My point is - I love my car and trust me I enjoy driving it more than most people enjoy theirs - I never considered public transit until I had no place to park at my work.
Maybe instead of more ways to get there, we need less parking at the destination.
All so Lee, Matthews, DiMassimo and Leithead can go cosmopolitan and hang with thier Atlanta pals?
Why don't they do that on their nickel?
I hope that "Gave Mine" appreciates the large Taxpayer subsidy that he enjoys.
Nice move, guys. (Politicians make me sick.)
Only one problem: What happens if we the people (Yes, we are out here.) just say NO to your TSPLOST slush fund. Then what are ya gonna do?
Better make some darn good contingency plans, boys. You're going to need them.
Not the public, for print comments, but the real behind the scenes reactions.
A glorified bus line. WOW!!! What a creative solutiion!!
If our political, governmental and business leaders had any guts whatsoever they would have negotiated for Atlanta to build the light rail to the River and then used Cobb's funding to complete the line to Acworth.
That may have generated some support in Cobb County. At least our dollars would have been spent locally.
And it would have comprised a project with REAL regional implications.
But NO!! These numbskulls capitulated to Kasim Reed's locally focused, non regional Beltline "trolley" project and sold Cobb County out!!!
As a result the entire TSPLOST is now in jeopardy.
Way to think regionally!!!
If a bridge/tunnel concept for Windy Hill at Cobb Parkway means something similar to what exists now at Delk Road and Cobb Parkway, that could be a vast improvement on both roadways. What you suggest is obviously much less costly, but I think the improvement in traffic flow would also be considerably less significant.
By the way, one of your suggestions -- synchronize traffic lights -- unfortunately loses a lot of its value when you take into account the strange behavior of too many drivers.
The current bus schedules on routes 102 and 480 (and you can throw 481 into the mix as well) can hardly be considered adequate. There are 5 or 6 departures on each line from Cobb County between roughly 5:30 and 8 in the morning, and then they return from Downtown or Midtown between 3 and 5:30. At the very least, improving the bus service as part of a regional plan would allow for commuting in either direction. But ideally there should be routes added at off-peak hours, evenings and weekends. I would say, though, that before anyone votes for this our leaders need to tell us just how much bus service they're intending to provide under this proposal.
Xpress gets me to work cheaper and faster than driving my own car.
GRTA (CCT) Xpress works great. They just need more starting points and destinations that will lead to more riders. Downtown is covered; try Perimeter, Buckhead, Midtown, Galleria, Lenox, Sandy Springs.
Competition! Remember, competition helps keep costs down! ...that's what I am waiting to hear next from the brainerds Mathews. Dimassimo and Lee.
FIRST, the Alternative Anaysis Study is an unnecessary waste. The study, headed up by Croy Engineering should be immediately canceled & that money refunded to Cobbs taxpayers. (by a fluke), IF this tax passes, then put the bus system in place FIRST, do the work to untangle the Windy Hill, 75/285 nightmare,.. then in 5 years , a study could be feasable to see what direction to go in following all these systems in place!!
Another huge waste (that I think has some self-interests involved)- is spending 90 MIllION at Cobb Parkway/Windy Hill.
I asked Bob Ott about this @ the town hall meeting Tues.,& looks like the 'plan' is a TUNNEL or a BRIDGE--over Cobb Parkway- ???????!!
WHAT in the world are they thinking??
Cobb Parkway needs updating & gets backed up along there,.. but the way to solve Cobb Parkway would be FIRST =
1-synchronize lights
2-move cones OUT of left lane on Windy Hill that block traffic flow
3-add right turn only lanes east & west on Windy Hill
4-add 'keep moving' signs to theses new lanes
5)utilize Cobb/Smyrna police at intersection for hour & 1/2 during morning & afternoon rush
These are cost effective remedies that could better use OUR tax money to fix our traffic problems.
Then you can spend the 75 Million that's left to do needed similar work ay OTHER Cobb Parkway intersections such as the horrible ramp that dead ends to Spring Road w/ no way to get into left turn lane Spring Road towards Smyrna.
I know, I'm just one of the 'little' people & have no idea what I'm talking about!!
The fact that the policticians on the other side of Atlanta have a voice in the spending of Cobb citizen's contributions to this proposed sales tax is enough reason to vote NO to the entire deal next year. This "regional" approach is a way to steal Cobb citizens' money to redistribute the same to residents of other counties.