![]() The Clifton alternatives moving ahead are known as “1A” and “1B.” Both have an identical main route and mode – BRT roughly paralleling Clifton Road and the corridor of North Decatur Road and DeKalb Industrial Way. The transit agency is seeking state legislation to allow it to use automatic traffic cameras as an enforcement tool against illegal parking. Officials acknowledged that the route could see blockage problems. MARTA is currently establishing a BRT route in Summerhill that will use a simpler form of dedicated lanes. Peter Vorhees with AECOM, a private firm consulting on the project, said the exact type of lanes has not been determined and could include ones with barriers to keep out other vehicles. The use of on-street lanes for the BRT options raises the question of how comparable travel times would be in real life since such lanes can be blocked by illegal parking, crashes, debris and other issues. “As long as you’ve got dedicated lanes, you’ve got opportunities,” Hobbs said. The use of that railroad ROW, and dedicated lanes on the street on most of the rest of the route, leaves open the possibility of future rail. Most of the route likely would be within the rail bed, though taking private property for construction easements and “shifting” of the track is possible in the concept, Hobbs said. However, that route is not definitive, with Hobbs saying MARTA is having “encouraging” talks with CSX. The bus would drive on a roadway separated from the tracks by a wall. Key to the projections of similar travel times for rail and bus options is a proposal to use the dedicated right of way (ROW) along a CSX railroad line. The transit agency faced fierce opposition last year to choosing BRT for the Campbellton Road corridor in Southwest Atlanta. The Clifton Corridor, like the Atlanta BeltLine and Clayton County’s commuter route, was originally proposed as a rail project but has opened to BRT consideration, with MARTA citing cost or technical issues. The decision comes amid controversy over previous MARTA moves away from rail to BRT. “Right now we are prepared to stop within the City of Atlanta,” said Hobbs. Officials said the Clifton project could continue and launch as that Atlanta-only segment. That means the rest, in unincorporated DeKalb County and the City of Decatur, would need some kind of money, perhaps through a sales tax there.Īlternative 1B for the Clifton Corridor is the same as 1A except for a spur bus route going to Decatur Station. Officials did say that only the portion of the Clifton project within the City of Atlanta – roughly to the Emory University campus – has secured local funding. “I think we’re in a position to say we’re not able to say exactly what the final answer is with the More MARTA program, but it is very clear from MARTA and the City leadership that this is a very important project and we’re continuing to work on it,” said transit agency spokesperson Greg Giuffrida. MARTA officials would not clarify whether the Clifton project is among those General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood has said is an internal short-list of priority projects for “More MARTA” sales tax funding still awaiting finalization. However, the decision comes amid unclear funding for MARTA projects in general and the Clifton Corridor in particular. Those calculations are key to securing federal funding, they said. MARTA officials attributed the decision on the route, which would connect Lindbergh Center and Avondale stations, to similar travel times and much lower costs for BRT. “LRT is no longer an option for this project,” said project manager Bryan Hobbs in a private briefing last week ahead of a Feb. MARTA has killed the rail option for its Clifton Corridor project and is moving forward with two “bus rapid transit” (BRT) alternatives. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |