Fulton County approves MARTA expansion into suburbs

ATLANTA - Fulton County Commission just gave the thumbs up for extending public transportation to suburban Atlanta.

The county's board of commissioners unanimously approved a deal led by MARTA that will create bus rapid transit routes to the northern part of Interstate 285.

"Chicago, you can take the L, New York, you can get anywhere with public transportation," Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said.

Soon, Pitts said, those living in Atlanta will be able to say the same.

County leaders unanimously passed a MARTA-led proposal to spend $16.2 million to craft the engineering plan for the roadway that will connect bus rapid transit routes to the northern part of I-285.

The plan approved Wednesday night would allow buses to share lanes with passenger cars on the interstate that creates the perimeter.

It's a move Pitts said will help strengthen the metro area's economy

"We have a lot of people who live outside of the city who come here to work. This will make it easier for them to do so and alleviate the number of people in their cars," Pitts said.

Fulton is one of 13 counties in the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority-- which is an agreement that makes the plan possible.

Just weeks ago, Cobb County became the first metro government to sign on to the agreement with a unanimous vote.

Each county government must sign off on the proposal. 

Chairman Pitts said he's confident the plan will continue to move forward.

"This plan is 40 years in the making and this unanimous vote is a pretty big deal," Pitts said.

WATCH: FOX 5 NEWS LIVE COVERAGE

_____