Clock ticking on $250 million infrastructure bond vote

Busted bridges. Cratered roads. Streets designed only for cars. City Hall officials are crossing their fingers and hoping that Atlantans will support taking on more than $250 million in debt — plus interest — to address these municipal woes and others.

??
On March 17, Atlanta voters will determine whether to give Mayor Kasim Reed permission to borrow cash to pay for new streetscape upgrades, bike lanes, bridges, lighting, public art, and some public buildings.

??
Atlanta is going this route because it is one of the only options available to start chipping away at Atlanta's roughly $1 billion backlog of projects. Some battered city sidewalks are court injury settlements just waiting to happen. A city can drop only so many plates over potholes.

??
"So many of the projects aren't optional," Mayor Kasim Reed said last week at the Atlanta Press Club. "The draft project list is pretty clear. You have bridges that are going to fall down."

??
Or bridges that the city wants to tear down. In addition to rebuilding the popular Nelson Street pedestrian bridge that connects Castleberry Hill and South Downtown, the bond package would pay to demolish the closed Bankhead Avenue Bridge located off Northside Drive.

??
Most projects would help rebuild and repair the cityscape. That includes replacing the notorious suicide lane on DeKalb Avenue with bike lanes. Traffic lights would get synchronized for the first time since the 1970s. Public art installed before the 1996 Olympics would get touch-ups too.

??
"Having good roads, structures, facilities is all critical to be able to say to anyone who's interested that this is a city on the rise," said Chief Operating Officer Michael Geisler to a crowd in southwest Atlanta last week.

??
Just how voters will decide what gets approved has changed over the past year. City officials originally considered putting three separate measures on the ballot — streetscapes, facilities, and Americans with Disabilities Act-related improvements — to give voters à la carte options.

??
Officials are asking to approve $188 million aimed at improving streetscapes, bridges, and parks, plus another batch of about $64 million that would fund city buildings. The bulk of that cash would be geared toward so-called citywide projects that have a large impact. Atlanta City Council members would oversee a smaller portion — roughly $70 million — to pay for infrastructure and building upgrades specific to their districts.

??
Voters might not know some specifics until after they cast their ballots. The citywide projects, which Reed Spokeswoman Jenna Garland says were selected based on several rounds of public input and consultants' studies, are largely finalized but must be approved by Council prior to the bonds being issued. That vote could happen before March 17. But the district-level projects might not be decided until after the referendum. Officials say that could offer some flexibility if new information becomes available. But some elected officials would like a local list decided sooner.

??
"We have to get those nailed down," Councilman Howard Shook says.

??
Residents still have time to influence the project list at the final round of public meetings being held across Atlanta, visiting www.renewatlanta2015.com, or by contacting their councilmembers. The last meeting is scheduled for Feb. 26 at City Hall. To see the draft list of projects, visit www.infrastructuremap.org.