MARTA says potential federal freeze is leaving infrastructure projects in limbo

Yahoo

14-02-2025

MARTA is waiting in limbo as they say up to $280 million in grants could be impacted if the federal government decides to freeze funding.
A spokesperson for the transit agency told Channel 2's Michael Doudna that this could impact almost every aspect of MARTA's infrastructure plans.
When it comes to major improvement projects that keep organizations like MARTA running, federal funds are almost always needed.
But after a series of orders and memos, MARTA started asking what if the money isn't there.
Every day, thousands of Georgians use MARTA by bus or by train.
But all the rail, trains, stations and buses take cash to maintain, often using federal dollars to make it happen.
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All told, MARTA said it has $279 million in grants, many of which broadly mentioned racial equity, climate change or DEI.
The projects include infrastructure projects, pedestrian safety and bus replacements.
'There is not one transit project that operates in a vacuum. They are all connected,' Rebecca Serna with Propel ATL said.
Serna told Doudna that these MARTA projects are vital to providing a public transit system for a city the size of Atlanta.
'If you care about people's daily needs and their budgets, then these projects are what make things possible,' Serna said.
But for some, like Georgia Republican Chairman Josh McKoon, this is all about a reassessment of priorities.
'We cannot continue to operate the federal government the way it has been operated for decades,' McKoon said.
He thinks it's smart for the administration to assess the current needs instead of just honoring grants that may have been put in place years ago.
'It's not saying federal participation is going to be eliminated, it's like that participation is being reimagined,' McKoon said.
MARTA said that it also will try to highlight different priorities when they apply to future grants to align with the administration.