MARTA updates south Fulton riders on future transit plans

MARTA is working on projects to improve transit in areas of south Fulton County. Though still in the assessment phase, plans include bus rapid transit and improved bus stops.

The transit authority held an interactive virtual public meeting June 23 to update riders on its projects along Roosevelt Highway and South Fulton Parkway and to gain feedback from the community.

These corridors were identified in the Fulton County Transit Master Plan, as well as other local studies and plans for transit need, because they are “smart, livable, economic corridors that are vital to the south Fulton County area,” according to MARTA project manager Morgan Simmons.

For South Fulton Parkway, the focus of the project is to assess the feasibility of bus rapid transit due to the potential for increased ridership in the area.

“There are large portions of the parkway that are undeveloped today,” said Kaycee Mertz, senior planning project manager at WSP, an engineering company working with MARTA. “But looking … at some of the future land use plans that the jurisdictions along this corridor have adopted, we’re seeing a lot of change—a lot of transition from open space to multi-family residential, to mixed use, and other industrial and office spaces.”

Bus rapid transit, also known as BRT, differs from traditional local bus services in several ways. Bus stops with BRT are farther apart, typically about every half mile, and there are fewer stops. This allows for the buses, which can hold a larger number of riders, to travel at faster speeds. The bus stops can also house amenities that regular bus stops don’t have, such as bike parking and real-time signage.

A key transit improvement MARTA is examining for the Roosevelt Highway corridor is the addition of enhanced bus stops along Route 180 and where they could possibly construct them.

Enhanced bus stops are bus stops that provide more passenger amenities than normal stops. The most advanced of these stops are called super stops and could include features such as larger shelters, ticket-vending machines, real-time arrival information, level-boarding areas and ADA-accessible ramps.

Both projects are in the assessment phase, which will last through next year, followed by a concept and design phase until 2024. In 2025 construction will begin on the Roosevelt Highway enhancements, while the South Fulton Parkway BRT plan will enter an action plan phase.

An in-person meeting about the project will be held July 7 at 6 p.m. at Chattahoochee Hills City Hall, 6505 Rico Road.

To keep up with the project, visit itsmarta.com/south-fulton-county-transit-initiative.aspx.