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Politics & Government

Decatur, Avondale Projects Trimmed

Only two Decatur transportation projects left on wish list for regional referendum.

Most of the Decatur transportation projects and all the Avondale Estates projects have been deemed a bad fit for the November 2012 regional transportation referendum.

 Only two Decatur projects appear to have much chance of making it onto the referendum ballot:

--The Decatur to Clifton Corridor, which would provide safety upgrades and bicycle, pedestrian and transit support facilities on Clairemont Avenue, Commerce Drive and Church Street in an effort to improve connections between downtown Decatur and the Emory/Clifton Corridor regional employment center.

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-- The Decatur Circulator Shuttle, which would connect the Decatur, Avondale and East Lake MARTA stations and Decatur/Avondale activity centers to the Emory/Clifton Corridor, Avondale Estates and Atlanta.

A few months ago, cities in the 10-county region surrounding Atlanta submitted wish lists of transportation projects for the referendum. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the state’s transportation planning director, Todd Long, recently cut about 100 projects from the list, including all but two of the Decatur projects and all the Avondale projects. Some of the rejected projects were considered too local and not regional in impact.

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Long will give the list of remaining projects to a “roundtable” of 21 mayors and county commissioners who will whack it down to create a final project list for the 2012 referendum. The AJC reported Long’s list includes $14 billion worth of transit projects, $8.6 billion worth of road projects, $205 million in sidewalk and bicycle projects and $28 million for aviation.

Voters in the 10 counties will decide whether to levy a new penny tax for regional transportation projects. Officials hope the tax will raise about $8 billion over 10 years.

Decatur had submitted about $37 million in projects that Long rejected, including bike/pedestrian improvements to East College Avenue, roadway improvements to Scott Boulevard and a transportation management center.

Avondale Estates had submitted about $415,000 in projects, including bike/pedestrian improvements on North Avondale Road to two Marta stations and intersection improvements at North Clarendon and North Avondale roads.

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