MARTA Worried It’s Losing Control Over How It Spends Federal Transit Dollars

MARTA is worried a move by regional planners will jeopardize its decision-making power over how federal transit dollars are spent.

Federal Transit Administration funding typically comes to MARTA after first passing through The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, also known as The ATL. Then, MARTA spends those dollars as it sees fit. Maybe not this time.

The ATL proposes allocating American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to MARTA for specific projects rather than distributing the federal relief money in one lump sum. It’s an outcome MARTA has been anxious about since 2018 when The ATL was created.