Increasing the Ambition for an Atlanta-Area Express Bus Lane Project

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has revealed new station concepts for proposed express bus lanes on Ga. Highway 400 that would add five stops between Sandy Springs and Alpharetta.

Josh Green reports on the newly released station concepts for the project, cautioning that the bus station concepts still have a long way to go, and funding uncertainties to overcome, before coming to fruition.

"In a perfect world for MARTA," however, "the Georgia Department of Transportation’s express lanes project on Ga. Highway 400 will open in about six years with efficient bus stops in the middle of highway lanes, dotted from Sandy Springs to the northern reaches of Alpharetta, offering transportation alternatives to thousands of commuters daily."

The bus station concepts are meant to supplement the work done by the Georgia Department of Transportation on the express lanes project. As Green explains, "MARTA’s broader goal is to take advantage of the billion-dollar investment GDOT is making to build about 16 miles of express lanes up Ga. Highway 400 as part of the agency’s Major Mobility Investment Program, which will also see express lanes installed on Interstate 285."

In all, "MARTA hopes to build five BRT stations, with stops at North Springs, Holcomb Bridge Road, North Point Mall, Old Milton Parkway, and Windward Parkway in Alpharetta, near Cumming. Total costs could exceed $176 million." MARTA is suggesting that a tax allocation district (TAD) or a special services district (the latter gaining a new example on the BeltLine earlier this month) to come up with the necessary funding to build the stations.