MARTA is hosting four community-engagement sessions, July 14-20, to offer information and collect feedback on proposals for the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative (CCTI), including a July 14 meeting at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health.
The CCTI is a proposed plan to improve access and connectivity to one of the largest employment centers in the region by providing direct high-capacity transit to link institutions along the Clifton Corridor to MARTA’s Lindbergh Center.
The area that would be serviced by the new transit route includes Emory University, Emory University Hospital, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Emory is Atlanta’s largest employer, and this corridor is one of the busiest and most congested areas in the city, with no direct access to MARTA or the interstate system.
MARTA planners are doing a thorough analysis of the route and mode of transit, which is required by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in order to apply for federal funding for the project.
The community engagement sessions will detail this process, known as scoping, to explore routes to the Avondale MARTA station as well as the Decatur MARTA Station. MARTA’s analysis will also study bus rapid transit (BRT) and light rail transit (LRT) to determine the best option. Once MARTA has completed their due diligence, they will make a recommendation on both the route and the mode for approval by the MARTA board. The project will then advance to the FTA for funding.
As development has significantly densified in and around the Clifton Corridor and traffic patterns have changed, there are now 10 alternatives on which the community can provide feedback. The 10 alternatives are based on extensive research and comparative analysis in cities that use LRT or BRT, including Omaha, Nebraska, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The CCTI is a part of MARTA’s larger 2040 strategic plan to transform transit around the city and has long been recognized as a much-needed priority project.
At the listening sessions, representatives from MARTA will provide details about the project history, process and timeline; the four BRT and six LRT options under study; and the differences between BRT and LRT and how they could improve transit access and connectivity.
The first two sessions are in-person open houses and the last two will take place on Zoom. During the in-person sessions, community members will be able to walk around and view mockups and maps of the proposed alternatives and provide input to the MARTA planners.
The full list of public meetings is below.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to Bryan Hobbs, MARTA CCTI project planner, at jhobbs@itsmarta.com.
In-person community-engagement sessions
Click the links for details.
Emory Rollins School of Public Health Auditorium
1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30322
This in-person open house will be accessible via MARTA bus route 6 with service from Lindbergh Center and Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA stations.
Parking is available in the Michael Street parking deck.
MARTA Headquarters at Lindbergh Center
2424 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
This in-person open house will be accessible via the Red and Gold Lines at Lindbergh Center MARTA station and MARTA bus routes 5, 6, 30, 39 and 809. For your safety and that of others, face masks are encouraged but not required.
Parking is available in the Sidney Marcus parking deck.
Online community-engagement sessions
Click the links for details.
