Georgia's current and future economic success is directly and inextricably linked to our transportation infrastructure.
• RBC supports additional funding for critical transportation infrastructure.
• RBC supports additional flexibility in how Georgia's local governments fund their transportation infrastructure, including transit operations and expansions.
Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP): Georgia has appropriated its share ($266 million) of the estimated $706 million required to deepen the Savannah Harbor from 42 feet to 47 feet, allowing post-Panamax ships to access the Savannah port. Over the next twenty years, container traffic in the I-75 corridor is expected to more than double from 2010 levels, leading to both increased employment opportunities and the need for transportation infrastructure improvements.
Georgia's ports are responsible for providing over 350,000 jobs statewide and over $7 billion to metro Atlanta's economy.
• RBC urges Congress to appropriate its full share of federal funding for SHEP in order that deepening can be completed without unnecessary delays and lost benefits.
Transit Coordination: The efficient operation of the multiple transit systems in metro Atlanta encourages economic development and provides an alternate mode of transportation for many metro Atlanta residents. However, maximizing the benefits of metro Atlanta's transit services requires a coordinated effort, both for raising revenue and providing seamless interconnections for transit riders among MARTA, Cobb Community Transit, Gwinnett Transit, GRTA's Xpress and other transit service providers. Whether metro Atlanta's transit future consists of operating as a single transit system or multiple interconnected transit systems, the role of transit coordination is critical to metro Atlanta's transit future.
• RBC supports transit service coordination to address the needs of metro Atlanta transit riders and include appropriate representation of key stakeholders.
Transportation Options: Metro Atlanta is home to over 5 million people within a land area similar to the state of Massachusetts. Multiple modes for commuting workers are necessary to provide employers with an adequate workforce and employees with a choice of employment opportunities. How metro Atlanta commuters travel to and from work will help determine metro Atlanta's future ability to attract jobs externally, as well as encourage investment internally. While the automobile will remain the primary mode of transportation within the metro Atlanta region, effective transportation networks rely on diverse transportation options, both for Metro Atlanta residents and visitors.
• RBC supports investments in alternate forms of transportation to provide metro Atlanta commuters and residents a choice of transportation modes to meet their needs.