Atlanta, GA — MARTA is hosting public meetings the week of Feb. 13 to seek community feedback on the Clifton Corridor transit initiative.

Here is the meeting schedule:

– An in-person forum will be held on Monday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Emory Rollins School of Public Health auditorium, 1518 Clifton Road in Atlanta. To register, click here.

– A virtual forum will be hosted on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. To register, click here.

– An in-person open house will be held on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Decatur Presbyterian Church, 611 Medlock Road in Decatur. To register, click here.

The Clifton Corridor project aims to connect Decatur to the Lindbergh Center station, with key stops at major institutions along the way.

“The Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative is MARTA’s proposed new high-capacity transit service that would provide a connection between two existing heavy rail lines through a major employment and institutional corridor in the Atlanta region,” the project website states.

Stops would include Emory University, Emory University Hospital, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston campus, and Atlanta VA Medical Center.

During a public meeting in November 2022, MARTA unveiled three proposals to get the job done: One would consist of light rail and the other two would involve bus rapid transit.

The options are as follows:

— Bus rapid transit with dedicated lanes connecting Lindbergh to the Avondale station. This would include elevated crossings at Clairemont Avenue and Scott Boulevard at North Decatur Road. It may also include a reversible lane along North Decatur Road between Clairemont Avenue and Scott Boulevard to minimize the project’s footprint.

— Bus rapid transit with a dedicated guideway between the Lindbergh and Avondale stations that would be considered Arterial Rapid Transit, which means it would mix with regular traffic. But it would have advantages over the MARTA buses people are used to encountering on local roads. It would include shorter wait times, signal priority and enhanced station amenities. It would not require widening or dedicated transit lanes. According to MARTA, the arterial rapid transit would operate at 15-minute frequencies or less and the stops would include amenities people are used to seeing at transit stations, like seating and arrival screens. A Decaturish commenter pointed out that this option includes a second Arterial Rapid Transit route from downtown Decatur to Lindbergh. Only the Arterial Rapid Transit section from Decatur to North Decatur / Clairemont will run through mixed traffic, which will go onto dedicated BRT lanes to Lindbergh. MARTA confirmed the accuracy of the commenter’s observation about the plan.

— Light rail transit between the Lindbergh and Avondale stations. This option would include a possible reversible transit lane along North Decatur Road between Clairemont Avenue and Scott Boulevard to minimize footprint.

The MARTA board could adopt the plan for the Clifton Corridor in early 2023. Assuming MARTA’s board adopts a plan in early 2023, the next step will be assessing the environmental impact of the project, which could take 12 to 18 months.

For more information, click here.

Editor and Publisher Dan Whisenhunt contributed to this story. 

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