ATLANTA — Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than $400 million in grants were being awarded to support 70 public transportation projects across 39 states.
In Georgia, MARTA received a $15 million award to fund the building of a new bus and operations maintenance facility in Clayton County.
During an exclusive interview Friday, 11Alive talked with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the grant awarded to MARTA.
"This facility in Clayton County is going to help buses serve people that count on them every day. It is often the essential workers, the people that haven't been able to go to work on Zoom and need to work everywhere from grocery stores to hospitals, who depend in particular on buses and these bus facilities," Buttigieg said.
According to MARTA the facility to be built in Clayton County will support 31 regional bus routes and over 250 buses, "while increasing efficiency and reducing operational costs."
The facility will also handle bus maintenance, cleaning, fueling, transit operations, administrative offices and will house a MARTA Police precinct.
It should also impact jobs in the area, with MARTA estimating it will lead to 350 construction jobs and eventually more than 700 new permanent positions.
"This was a big focus in the American Rescue Plan to keep our transit workers on the job instead of allowing transit agencies to be forced to lay people off, but it is also the jobs that it supports when you're on a good transit route, bus route or MARTA line," Buttigieg said of the Clayton County project's potential impact. "That helps create value, helps create wealth, helps create opportunity. The more people that can get to where they need to be to expand their skills and training, or go to school, or to get to the job itself, the more we are unlocking their economic potential and helping people live better more prosperous lives."
Also recently announced, Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and Senator Raphael Warnock secured $3.85 million in funding to assist in MARTA's expansion of its electric bus fleet.
The federal dollars will allow MARTA to purchase six new electric buses, bringing doubling the size of its electric fleet.
“The future of MARTA’s bus fleet is electric, which will help combat climate change and reduce public health impacts from air pollution, especially in vulnerable populations," said MARTA Interim General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood in a press release from her agency.
"I've spoken with MARTA leadership and Senator Ossoff and Senator Warnock about this. We need to help our transit agencies move into a future that is increasingly electric and that isn't just the right thing to do for the climate, it is good for communities. It means cleaner air for families and children who live near roads and bus routes and it can create jobs as well. There is a remarkable amount of activity going on in the electric battery and vehicle industry," Buttigieg said.
The grant for the Clayton County facility was a competitive grant the agency needed to apply for. The Federal Transportation Administration received 303 eligible project proposals totaling approximately $2.56 billion in requests. Buttigieg said there will be future rounds of similar grants to be awarded, with MARTA having an interest in additional funding for other projects.
The grants should impact both public transit users and other commuters, Buttigieg added.
"Good public transit benefits you even if you aren't a transit user. Because the more people are using transit, the less congestion there is on our roads for people who drive," he said. "So, it really is an example of a win-win. It is good policy and we are proud to support the good work going on in places like Atlanta."