Plans to extend the Atlanta Streetcar line are still in the works. Whether it makes a short list of projects elevated to a priority group remains to be seen.

On Thursday, MARTA held board committee meetings, where members got updates on that and other projects.

Given rising costs due to inflation and other financial pressures, the agency is in the midst of revising its list of projects to better focus on a smaller group now...rather than later.

“It started with something like 70 projects. We went down to 17 projects. We have not taken projects off the list, we’re simply prioritizing,” said MARTA CEO and general manager Collie Greenwood Thursday. “We’ve identified six or seven that are in the conversation as first tier projects.”

Board members got an update on where things stand with what is called Streetcar East - the plan to extend the line by 2.5 miles east to Ponce City Market and the Atlanta Beltline. Final design for the project should arrive by July. The extension would almost double the length of the streetcar route. If costs and schedules hold, projected completion would be in 2028.

However, it is the streetcar extension’s projected price-tag that drew some questions Thursday.

“I would question the use of this money entirely right now,” said MARTA board member Bill Floyd, who represents DeKalb County. “I just have some serious concerns about whether this $230 million of Atlanta’s money is being spent in the right way and the right place.”

The extension plan to the Beltline has plenty of supporters, who feel more people will ride the Streetcar if it stretches to that area. It would also represent rail transit for the Beltline neighborhood, which has been long promised.

But from Floyd, “this is unique and different for something that I’m not convinced people are going to ride.”

CEO Greenwood in response: “I’m not saying that Streetcar East is ever going to be dropped from the list or raised on the list or lowered on the list. I really can’t speak to where it will land. But I can assure you that A - nothing’s being dropped, it’s just a matter of priority, and B - before those priorities are set, all those considerations will be deliberated.”

MARTA is in discussion with Atlanta leaders on a revised project list.

©2023 Cox Media Group