City Tees Up Proposed New $700M Infrastructure Package
With community engagement phase already underway, City Council expected to vote on referendum in December
11/24/2021
To address Atlanta’s significant backlog of infrastructure needs, the City is proposing a $700 million investment through sales tax and bonds. This is essentially a renewal of the existing $510 million TSPLOST (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) and bond program that Atlanta voters approved in 2015 and is ending in March 2022. It is estimated that the City has $3 billion in infrastructure needs for its transportation, parks and public facilities over the next 20 years. On the transportation side, this includes things like repaving streets, adding new sidewalks where they don’t exist, fixing broken sidewalks, and adding bike or micromobility lanes so that we have more choices on how to move around the city.
Voters Would be Asked in May 2022 to Approve Two Financial Instruments: $400M Bond Package + $300 TSPLOST
With so many needs, the City has spent a great deal of time developing a project prioritization tool using advanced analytics that factors in safety, equity, and mobility needs. The City used this tool to develop a project list. The infrastructure funding will come from a $400 million bond package as well as $300 million from a 4/10 of a penny sales tax (same percentage as the existing TSPLOST). The bond revenues would fund parks/trails/arts, public safety, transportation, and local council district needs. The TSPLOST revenue would all be spent on transportation needs. The City plans to seek City Council approval in December to allow citizens to vote on this referendum in May 2022. Additional public engagement is expected to take place after the holidays.
Two Midtown Improvement District Projects Included in TSPLOST Scope
Projects on the TSPLOST list in Midtown include construction funding for two projects that Midtown Alliance has partnered with the City on: 15th Street LIT Lane project and the 10th Street/Peachtree Place project. Additionally, the City is allocating funding to improve the experience along Atlanta’s signature street, Peachtree Street. Specific updates to Peachtree would be determined through a public planning process. The bond program list includes improvements to Piedmont Park and Yonah Park in Midtown.
Learn More
View the City’s NE quadrant presentation here. Additional information on TSPLOST/Bond projects can be found on Atlanta Bicycle Coaltiion's website. Comments and questions related to this program can be sent to ATL DOT.
