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Saturday, Jun. 06, 2009

Stimulus money flowing for buses, transit

Federal stimulus money keeps on flowing in Georgia, and Gov. Sonny Perdue approved Friday nearly $39 million in funding for bus systems and other transit projects.

Much of the money will be spent in the Atlanta area, but the Macon Transit Authority will get about $2.28 million to buy new buses, design a new maintenance barn, purchase a tracking system for buses and buy other equipment.

Other parts of the midstate will also get funding, with the largest slice of the pie going to Vienna, which is slated to get nearly $222,000, according to the governor’s office.

Jones County is slated to get $153,200 for a new vehicle and other equipment.

In Bibb County, the transit authority plans to buy three buses, as well as new vans, said Carl Jackson, the authority’s director. Some of the money will be turned over to the city government to help fund renovations at Terminal Station downtown, said Jackson, who recently announced he’s leaving the authority for another job.

Some of the money will be used to design a new maintenance facility to replace the one torn down near the corner of Riverside Drive and Spring Street, Jackson said. Since then, the transit authority, which receives city and county funding but is a separate entity, has been sharing the city’s vehicle maintenance facilities. Those facilities only have two bays where buses can be worked on, Jackson said. The old MTA maintenance barn had 10, he said.

“It was always intended to just be a temporary place,” Jackson said.

The tracking system will use Global Positioning System technology to follow the location of buses via computer, Jackson said.

It should help the authority staff to see which buses are running on time and make the operation more efficient, he said.

Other transit stimulus grants in Middle Georgia, according to the governor’s office, include: $82,600 in Peach County, $92,000 in Baldwin County, $88,800 in Bleckley County, $22,000 in Dodge County, $20,800 in Crawford County, $67,900 in Putnam County, $66,000 in Wilkinson County, $20,800 in Macon County, $22,200 in Pulaski County, $63,800 in Twiggs County and $20,800 in Unadilla.

Jackson said his authority is waiting on paperwork from the Georgia Department of Transportation before it can start spending the money.

To contact writer Travis Fain, call 744-4213.