{"194291":{"#nid":"194291","#data":{"type":"news","title":"At Issue: Atlanta\u2019s Transportation Future","body":[{"value":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta\u2019s transportation network includes railroads, MARTA trains and buses, freeways, bike paths and the world\u2019s busiest airport. Georgia Tech alumni and faculty have played a significant role in shaping that infrastructure, and now Ramblin\u2019 Wrecks are helping plan\u0026nbsp;Atlanta\u2019s transportation systems of the future.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch6\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdapt, Improvise, Innovate\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EKeith Golden, CE 86, MS CE 89, and Todd Long, CE 89, MS CE 90, are the commissioner and deputy commissioner,\u0026nbsp;respectively, of the Georgia Department of Transportation.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia transportation funding is in a time of transition. Much hard-asset infrastructure, like the Interstate System, is 50-plus years old and in need of significant rehabilitation, if not replacement. Unaddressed, congestion will stifle growth and the city\u2019s vibrancy. Billions of dollars are needed for long-term solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnything close to that amount, however, is not likely to be available\u2014at least not from traditional sources. The prevailing view is that foreseeable federal funding will remain static or decline, perhaps as much as 25-30 percent. July\u2019s rejection of the T-SPLOST one-cent sales tax referendum showed a majority of Georgians oppose increased state transportation taxes for a variety of reasons. For the 46 counties that did pass the transportation sales tax, expect to see growth as they resolve many of their transportation problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOur mission is to continue transforming the bureaucracy into a responsive, customer-focused enterprise making better use of the Department of Transportation\u2019s 4,300 dedicated employees. We aim to implement initiatives like variable speed limits, flex and auxiliary lanes, signal synchronization and immediate incident response to maximize the efficiency of our existing infrastructure. We strive to eliminate inefficiencies and privatize work when it makes sense to do so. We want to develop more public-private partnerships and managed toll lanes when they best serve mobility and taxpayer interests, and we\u2019ll focus available resources on projects that yield the highest benefit\/cost ratio to Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is a daunting challenge. But thanks to Tech, we know we are well prepared.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuild Upon Existing Vision\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERyan Gravel, Arch 95, M Arch\/CP 99, imagined the Atlanta BeltLine\u2014a 22-mile path for pedestrians, bicycles and light rail circling Atlanta\u2014in 1999 as his Tech master\u2019s thesis; he is now a senior urban\u0026nbsp;designer with Perkins+Will.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ET-SPLOST, the proposed penny sales tax that would have raised $8.5 billion for roads and transit in metro Atlanta, suffered defeat at the polls on July 31.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExplanations for this are as divided as the vote. What is clear is that developing a nuanced plan to address the varied transportation needs in a diverse, sprawling region is challenging, and the politics of doing so are even more challenging.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut instead of starting from scratch, what if we built on a bold, sustainable vision already underway?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the 1960s, Fulton and DeKalb counties and the City of Atlanta began to build the current MARTA rail system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith nearly half a million boardings every weekday, MARTA is now America\u2019s ninth-largest system. It consistently ranks among the most cost-efficient and cost-effective systems in the country and contributes significantly to Georgia\u2019s transportation solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut it receives essentially no money from the state. MARTA was last expanded over a decade ago. Complaints about the rail system \u201cnot going anywhere\u201d are explained by our lack of investment in it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe original MARTA Act was far more aspirational and visionary than T-SPLOST, but it was not entirely successful because three of metro Atlanta\u2019s five core counties opted not to participate. Perhaps now the time is right.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClayton, Cobb and Gwinnett Counties\u2014which stand to gain the most from transit expansion\u2014could buy into the system right away.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith significant demographic shifts taking place in these counties, and with leadership changes underway at MARTA, now is the perfect time to leverage our existing assets, mend relationships and move forward with a shared vision befitting Georgia\u2019s role in the global economy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis story\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gtalumnimag.com\/2013\/02\/at-issue-atlantas-transportation-future\/\u0022\u003Eoriginally appeared\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in the February issue of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Photos by Josh Meister.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Alumni Magazine talks with Keith Golden, Todd Long and Ryan Gravel about Atlanta\u0027s transportation infrastructure.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Alumni Magazine talks with Keith Golden, Todd Long and Ryan Gravel about Atlanta\u0027s transportation infrastructure."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2013-02-21 14:07:57","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:40","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-02-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-02-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"194311":{"id":"194311","type":"image","title":"Keith Golden and Todd Long","body":null,"created":"1449179891","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:11","changed":"1475894846","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:26","alt":"Keith Golden and Todd Long","file":{"fid":"196376","name":"timthumb_2.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/timthumb_2_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/timthumb_2_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":35515,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/timthumb_2_0.jpeg?itok=MBlzD8kR"}},"194301":{"id":"194301","type":"image","title":"Ryan Gravel","body":null,"created":"1449179891","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:11","changed":"1475894846","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:26","alt":"Ryan Gravel","file":{"fid":"196375","name":"ryan_430x347-300x242.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ryan_430x347-300x242_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ryan_430x347-300x242_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":13398,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ryan_430x347-300x242_0.jpeg?itok=8Wfa4GcK"}}},"media_ids":["194311","194301"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gtalumnimag.com\/2013\/02\/at-issue-atlantas-transportation-future\/","title":"At Issue: Atlanta\u0027s Transportation Future (at gtalumnimag.org)"},{"url":"http:\/\/gtalumnimag.com\/","title":"Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine"}],"groups":[{"id":"1316","name":"Green Buzz"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1506","name":"faculty"},{"id":"35011","name":"georgia tech alumni magazine"},{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"},{"id":"59401","name":"Keith Golden"},{"id":"19131","name":"ryan gravel"},{"id":"59411","name":"Todd Long"},{"id":"168","name":"Transportation"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:van.jensen@alumni.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAlumni Publications\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}