FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2021
NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS MARTA
Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Transportation & Infrastructure Chair Rep. Peter DeFazio Host Infrastructure Roundtable
ATLANTA – As the U.S. House prepares to take a vote on the INVEST in America Act next week, metro Atlanta’s national role in the issue is visible as Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio joins Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) for a virtual town hall to highlight local projects that will receive funding from the legislation, if adopted.
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker will participate as a panelist to talk about the project for which Congresswoman Williams requested $3 million in funding, Metropolitan Parkway Arterial Rapid Transit. They will also discuss the larger MARTA capital expansion plan and the benefits of transit investments.
“As MARTA undertakes its biggest expansion in decades, I appreciate our Congressional delegation’s continued interest and support in transit projects at the local level and the important role they play in economic development, addressing climate change, and creating jobs,” said Parker. “Transit produces one of the most valuable returns on investment, creating roughly $4 in economic productivity for every dollar spent.”
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) research shows that investing in transit capital projects aligns well with the Biden Administration’s priorities. The economic impacts are overwhelmingly positive. Not only does it help provide needed mobility, which in turn helps with economic mobility, it reduces air pollution, saves household transportation costs and creates jobs, both directly and indirectly.
Other local transportation leaders participating in the roundtable are Atlanta Department of Transportation Commissioner Josh Rowan, Stacey Key with the Georgia Department of Transportation Board for the Fifth Congressional District, and Atlanta BeltLine CEO Clyde Higgs.
Metro Atlanta’s prominent role in this conversation was demonstrated last month, when U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited metro Atlanta to learn more about forthcoming transportation investments. Congresswoman Williams, Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock joined Secretary Buttigieg and CEO Parker riding the train from the Airport to East Point, where they visited the Station Soccer pitch and discussed federal support needed for system expansion.
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