David Crockett at a press conference on Thursday said he supports the high speed rail project
Mayoral Candidate David Crockett announced on Thursday during a press conference at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport his plans to complete the high speed rail project from Atlanta-Chattanooga as one of the key plans for economic development under a Crockett Administration.
"We plan to complete the high speed rail project between Atlanta and Chattanooga which will offer a 30 minute connection from our city to the north side of Atlanta," said Mr. Crockett. "The environmental impact study and route study have already been completed. All we need is to make the decision to go forward with this project and get it done. We will begin shoveling dirt in our first term."
With the high speed rail project fully functioning, Mr. Crockett expects the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport to see as many as 4-5 million travelers annually accessing as many as 150 flights a day, positioning it as a regional airport much like Newark, New Jersey is to New York City. The Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport now services 30 flights a day.
Mr. Crockett added the majority of the project will be paid for by federal dollars and that the Trump Administration has been supportive of high-speed rail projects. "It just makes sense for our city to capitalize on that opportunity," Mr. Crockett said. "A Crockett Administration means business for Chattanooga."
"If you looked at the cost of adding two lanes of a highway--one going north and one going south--this costs about the same, but adding lanes doesn't do anything to spur economic growth," Mr. Crockett said. "We're not building a railroad, we're building a region."