(The Center Square) — The Atlanta Regional Commission plans to use $45 million in federal money on various transit projects, including a program to help local transit companies buy electric buses and install electric vehicle charging stations.
ARC, a planning agency for 11 counties and more than 70 cities in the Atlanta region, allocated the money from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as part of an amendment to the region’s Transportation Improvement Program.
The list includes $12.1 million to help the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority buy 22 compressed natural gas buses. Another $11.9 million will fund a regional pilot program to help local transit agencies buy electric buses and install EV charging stations.
The spending plan includes $11.5 million to fund safety and accessibility upgrades, including curb cuts and crosswalk improvements, across Cobb County’s transit system, CobbLinc. Another $9.6 million goes toward upgrading Clayton County’s main transit center in Jonesboro.
TIP also includes money for several Georgia DOT projects, including $640,000 for planning a pair of road projects in Henry and Barrow counties. It also allocates funding for truck-friendly lanes on State Route 6 in Cobb and Douglas counties; improvements to the intersection of State Route 92 and South Fulton Parkway in South Fulton; and bridge upgrades in Barrow, Dawson, and Walton counties.
Local entities are chipping in another $13 million for the projects.
In an announcement, Anna Roach, executive director of ARC, said the investment was “a historic opportunity to invest in metro Atlanta and build a better future for all residents.”
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
