More Federal Money Getting Wasted in Atlanta
Friday, October 15, 2010 at 2:33PM This time on a streetcar project nobody will ride.
Why won't anybody ride it you ask? Why don't people feel safe walking around Downtown Atlanta? Why did the mini golf/amusement park across from Turner Field fail? Why do Atlanta officials keep let beggars and panhandlers roam all over Downtown Atlanta?
Here's what is going down. The U.S. Department of Transportation has agreed to grant the city of Atlanta $47 million for the proposed downtown streetcar project, according to U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta.
If John Lewis is backing this it is bound to fail. Lewis said in a statement. "Not only does this project offer citizens and visitors to the downtown area another option for transportation, it will also provide green jobs and support economic development."
The streetcar line will run east-west connecting the MLK site with Centennial Olympic Park. What convention goers and visitors will want to ride this. I can't see people from the suburbs coming into Atlanta to ride this streetcar.
According to city plans, the project would cost more than $70 million, with the city and the Central Atlanta Progress' Downtown Improvement District putting up about $20 million for it.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed's office has estimated the project would create 5,200 jobs over 20 years and would not only help ease downtown traffic problems but also help the city compete for more tourism and convention business. 5200 jobs? Doing what? It won't eliminate any traffic problems or congestion, it will be something else that can be run corruptly and eventually will be the butt of many jokes and an eye sore for the city.
