MARTA joined federal, state, and regional transportation leaders and industry experts to discuss public-private partnership opportunities for transit during a national workshop conducted by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP). MARTA co-sponsored the event on March 25th and 26th with other transit, transportation and planning agencies. MARTA served as a public sponsor at no cost to the authority.
State and regional transportation leaders participated with national industry experts in a variety of informative sessions on the language of PPP's, the federal stimulus package and implications for transit projects, statutory and regulatory requirements, factors in financing transit PPPs, and an overview of case studies throughout the country. Participants reviewed best practices and explored options for expanding transit infrastructure and services through public-private partnerships.
"With regional consensus on the Concept 3 transit expansion plan, it's extremely important for us to begin seriously looking at a full range of funding tools and business models to expedite project delivery. Our need to significantly expand public transit across the Atlanta region is urgent, and "business as usual" approaches will not be sufficient," said MARTA General Manager/CEO Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. "Given the current economic conditions and lack of a sustainable funding source for transit in this region and state, the PPP Workshop provided an invaluable opportunity for transit stakeholders and public officials in our region to learn more about innovative ways to leverage additional funding for transit and other infrastructure projects. It's important that we begin to consider these types of partnerships in order to have the means to implement a transit system that will truly preserve the economic success, quality of life, and world class status of our region and state."
During the opening session, Dr. Scott joined a group of state and regional leaders to discuss how public-private partnership opportunities could facilitate regional expansion and improve overall transit operations. Panel participants included Federal Transit Administration Region IV Administrator Yvette Taylor, Ph.D., Transit Planning Board and Clayton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Eldrin Bell, MARTA Board of Directors Chairman Michael Walls, Georgia Department of Transportation Board Member Emory McClinton, Gwinnett County Department of Transportation Director Brian Allen, and Financial Consultant for the Transit Planning Board Sharon Greene.
