The MARTA board of directors has approved extending the Atlanta Streetcar from Downtown to Ponce City Market along the bustling Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail.
The board voted April 13 to extend the streetcar, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The approval came despite growing opposition from some homeowners and business owners who live and own property near the Eastside Trail.
The roughly 2-mile extension would run nearly a mile down Edgewood Avenue, up to Randolph Street, along Auburn Avenue to Irwin Street where it will connect with the Eastside Trail. From Irwin Street, the streetcar route would continue about another mile north to Ponce City Market. Five stop locations are planned.
The streetcar expansion has been in the works for years to fulfill the vision of having light rail along the entire BeltLine, a 22-mile multi-use path being built mostly along abandoned railroad tracks encircling the city’s urban core.
The estimated $230 million project is a priority for MARTA as well as Mayor Andre Dickens and the City Council to be funded with More MARTA funds. The More MARTA program is funded by a half-penny sales tax approved by Atlanta voters in 2016 specifically to build new rail, streetcar extensions, new bus lines and new stations.
