Opponents are turning to legal challenges to try to block or delay major public transit expansions — even after voters approve them.Recent lawsuits in Arizona, Tennessee and Texas have attempted to slow voter-passed projects.In Nashville, Tennessee, voters passed a $3.1 billion referendum in November to raise the city sales tax half a cent and fund expanded bus service, pedestrian improvements and 54 miles of “all-access” transit corridors. But a Tennessee court, while upholding most of the project, ruled last week that the city could not use the funds raised to purchase land for affordable housing or parks.The ruling affects only 1 percent of the total revenue, the court said. But it was a signal that even well-funded, voter-backed transit efforts are vulnerable to some legal roadblocks.After voters in Maricopa County, Arizona, last year approved an extension of a half-cent sales tax for transportation, the county GOP sued to try to invalidate the results, arguing the vote didn’t meet a 60 percent supermajority.In Austin, Texas, a 2024 class-action lawsuit attempted to block the city from collecting property taxes unless it excludes a tax approved by voters in 2020 to fund Project Connect — a major transit expansion. But a judge dismissed the lawsuit late last year.Public support for expanded transit is surging across the United States. In 2024 alone, voters approved 46 of 53 transit-related ballot measures, unlocking over $25 billion in new funding …
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