Update: Atlanta's $8 Billion Transit Plan Moving Forward

[Update 2/26/2016] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that the Georgia State Senate killed the legislation that would enable the half-cent sales tax for the Atlanta region.

"The prospects of major transit improvements for the [Atlanta] region are looking more hopeful today than they have for a generation," according to an article by Angie Schmitt, after the state legislature overcame the first hurdle toward approving an $8 billion investment in the region's transit infrastructure.

"Last week a Georgia Senate committee passed a bill that would allow Fulton, Dekalb, and Clayton counties to levy a half-cent sales tax for transit over the next 40 years," reports Schmitt. "The measure, if approved by voters, would generate $8 billion in capital funding to expand MARTA."

In November, Michael Kahn reported on the early route plans included in the proposal at this early stage, though final specifics would still have to be negotiated. Schmitt also reports on the political climate surrounding transit in Atlanta—where so far the sales tax has strong support in polls, even from suburban residents.