Many elements, though, have been removed and added to the narrowed list of alternatives and there are likely to be significant changes. Earlier this year, MARTA estimated the capital costs for BRT as $670 million to $860 million and light rail as $2.1 billion to $3.1 billion. Hobbs said a pre-pandemic projection was a daily ridership of 22,000 or more.Ĭost projections are also not yet updated, with new numbers expected in January. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Egleston Hospital and Emory Decatur Hospital.

However, there seems to be little doubt that the line would have high demand from the many large institutions along the route, such as Emory, the U.S. Potential ridership remains a key unanswered question, as MARTA says it is still working on updated numbers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which wreaked dramatic and lasting changes to commuting patterns. From MARTA’s planning perspective, that is intended to boost the Clifton Corridor’s ridership and thus its viability. Bryan Hobbs, MARTA’s Clifton Corridor project manager, acknowledged that could make the project dictate the route or mode – or both – of BeltLine transit as well, though he emphasized it is being planned independently.Īll alternatives include a separate but interconnected shuttle van service to the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Clairmont Road about a half-mile from the Clifton Corridor route. Lindbergh is intended to be a major connection point for future Atlanta BeltLine transit, which is also in a study phase, and the Clifton Corridor project is likely to be built first. ART is essentially an express bus with traffic signal priority.Īll of the routes are now drawn with gray boxes on the map indicating uncertainty of how exactly they would connect with the terminus stations, an issue MARTA continues to study. One BRT option includes “arterial rapid transit” (ART) bus service along Clairmont Road connecting the line to the Decatur station. The light rail transit (LRT) alternative no longer includes subway options. “Either mode provides the transit access we have needed for so long to provide our staff, students, patients and visitors the ability to directly connect into the MARTA system.”Īll three proposed routes predominantly use a similar path along the railroad, roughly paralleling Clifton Road and the corridor of North Decatur Road and DeKalb Industrial Way. “Emory strongly supports the alternative to the Avondale MARTA Station and is open to either light rail or bus rapid transit,” said Willis. Betty Willis, Emory’s senior associate vice president of government and community affairs, said in a written statement that the university is staying open-minded. Large institutions along the proposed routes, such as Emory University, have already seen the alternatives as well. The transit agency provided SaportaReport with a private preview of the presentation before the public meetings. The alternatives are scheduled to be unveiled to the general public in community meetings on Nov. They all use a similar route along the CSX railroad right-of-way and local streets. All three options continue to have Buckhead’s Lindbergh Center Station as the western terminus, connecting the route to the Gold and Red heavy-rail lines. One of the bus rapid transit (BRT) options also includes a spur bus route to Decatur Station. MARTA’s alternatives for the Clifton Corridor transit line are down to three options – two bus routes and one light-rail line – all with Avondale Station as the main eastern terminus.

MARTA narrows Clifton Corridor alternatives to two bus options, one light rail line - SaportaReport Close

Emory method map projections