MARTA’s Board of Directors voted today to advance its plan for bus rapid transit (BRT) rather than rail along the Campbellton Road corridor.
Part of a $300 million investment in transit and infrastructure in southwest Atlanta, the BRT line will run 10 kilometers on Campbellton Road, connecting key destinations such as Oakland Station. City, the new Greenbriar Transit Center and Barge Road Park & Ride. , with nine stations planned along the route.
The BRT line will provide high-capacity rapid transit in dedicated lanes in the center of the route and reduce transit travel time along Campbellton Road to 18 minutes, 35% faster than the current Route 83, according to MARTA.
Other BRT amenities on offer include off-board fare payment similar to MARTA’s trains, level boarding platforms, electric BRT vehicles, and transit signal priority to improve journey times and reliability.
“It will be a benchmark BRT system, with stations, platform-level entrance at both gates and dedicated tracks, very similar to a rail system, but at a lower cost and with a completion time of faster construction,” said MARTA Interim. Managing Director and CEO Collie Greenwood. “Centralized BRT also allows us to invest more money in the corridor with pedestrian and cycling amenities and infrastructure features that benefit the whole community.”
Campbellton Road rapid transit was adopted as part of the More MARTA Atlanta program in 2018. However, some Southwest Atlanta residents were unhappy with MARTA’s plan to operate BRT lines instead. rail, as originally proposed in the More MARTA plan, which is paid for through a half-penny sales tax and federal funding.
“We’ve heard from some who see BRT as an inferior investment and are concerned that transit-led development isn’t as robust. That’s just not true,” said MARTA Board Chair Rita Scott. “BRT is a premium mass transit service that can be delivered faster, for less money, operate more affordably and is far more flexible than fixed rail transit, making it the obvious choice. for this corridor and the best use of taxpayers’ money. And I’m confident that when this project comes to fruition, the people who live and work in this corridor will agree.
MARTA’s goal is to begin operating the BRT on Campbellton Road in 2028.
Transit Developments Approved
The MARTA Board also advanced pre-development work on two Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects on the East/West line, with the award of master planning contracts for the stations of Indian Creek and HE Holmes and surrounding areas, and approval to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) TOD for Indian Creek.
Approval of Indian Creek’s TOD tender puts the property on a par with TODs at HE Holmes and Kensington stations, which have already received board support. Next, MARTA and its consultants will complete the master plan and rezoning of these important land areas and then issue TOD tenders to the development community.
The council also awarded master plan contracts to WSP for Indian Creek and HKS for HE Holmes. Indian Creek and HE Holmes Station, which are the westernmost and easternmost points of the Blue Line, have 52 and 22 acres respectively to be developed.
“Development at and around these train stations presents a significant opportunity to benefit surrounding communities while enabling increased ridership and an overall better experience for our customers,” said Greenwood.
MARTA recently opened Marchon Apartments at King Memorial Station and is nearing completion on Quill Apartments at Edgewood/Candler Park Station.
An affordable housing project for the elderly will see the light of day at Avondale station this autumn, while 250 flats are also planned at Kensington station.
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