Cobb County is getting ready for more traffic with construction of the new Braves stadium in Smyrna.

Commissioners will vote Tuesday night on a $5.3 billion comprehensive plan that includes a bus rapid transit line.

Cobb County already has a bus system, but bus rapid transit (BRT) would be “much more like a train, but on rubber tires,” says Faye DiMassimo, the county’s transportation director.

She says the BRT line is the only mass transit item in the 25-year comprehensive transportation plan, and it’s the only one that would have to be approved by voters even if the overall plan is approved.

DiMassimo says the line would cost $494 million to build if commissioners and voters approve it.

“It would have its own referendum,” DiMassimo says. “Give the voters a chance to speak to it directly if it’s going to advance.”

DiMassimo says the route would pass by the new Braves stadium on its way from Kennesaw State University to midtown Atlanta. To skip all the traffic, it would have its own dedicated lane on Highway 41. She says the new buses would be a lot faster and more spacious than those currently running in Cobb County.

She says the county has studied adding a bus rapid transit line for two decades now, but it hasn’t been presented to voters yet because commissioners aren’t sure there’s enough citizen support.

“You know there’s something really different and new – you know it takes a bit of time for people to consider it and understand it and ask lots of questions about it,” DiMassimo says.