Traffic map

As part of the new development at the corner of Church St. and North Decatur Rd., to include a "365 by Whole Foods" as well as other shops and apartments, the developer (The Shopping Center Group) has included a traffic map (pdf) for the Decatur area.

Below is a close-up of our area, to help us in future discussions about this important topic. The red arrow points to the site; the yellow tabs highlight retail in the area. You can see some of our other posts on traffic by clicking on these links:

-  North Decatur Road Safety Audit

-  Clifton Corridor  

Highlight with location of Medlock neighborhood; modified from http://properties.theshoppingcentergroup.com/property/output/document/view/id:12454/?time=1462961048/

MARTA expansion on life support?

Last week, this AJC report appeared to dash all hopes of MARTA expansion progress due to resistance from "six GOP senators whose districts touch the north Fulton region" who did not support SB313:

"SB313, the bill that would authorize MARTA to pursue a massive $8 billion expansion up through north Fulton County and east to Emory University, failed to make the Senate Rules Committee calendar and won’t receive a Crossover Day vote on Monday." ... read the rest here.

Support for MARTA expansion has been growing, in sharp contrast to the summer of 2012, when a T-SPLOST was defeated in all ten counties that voted on it.

But... is there hope? The AJC  reports today that some legislators won't stop believing and are discussing  a separate, local legislation bill not subject to cross-over day that would include the "city of Atlanta and perhaps DeKalb County to vote  on whether to pay an additional half-percent sales tax increase."

The push is justified: recently, Curbed Atlanta reported that per surveys of likely voters conducted last October by the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Fulton and DeKalb County residents are now firmly in favor of expanding MARTA.

The Metro Atlanta Chamber survey indicates that public opinion about the GA DOT and MARTA is much improved. Also from the survey:

from http://atlanta.curbed.com/archives/2016/02/12/marta-expansions-
unprecidented-support-in-11-charts-1.php

The Clifton Corridor MARTA expansion appeared to be highly supported by survey respondents.

from http://atlanta.curbed.com/archives/2016/02/12/marta-
expansions-unprecidented-support-in-11-charts-1.php

Click to enlarage. Note that the Clifton Corridor is a large employment center and also
the only one not served by MARTA. From http://macpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/
2016/02/HNTB-Transit-Report-Printable-version.pdf

Why should MARTA expand its reach? In its "Economic Benefits of Investing in Traffic" report (October 2015), the Metro Chamber of Commerce suggests that every $1 invested in transit yields $4 in gains to the community, as measured in increased personal and disposable income, reduced travel times, growth in jobs and GRP (gross regional product).

The report benchmarks Atlanta metro investment in MARTA and concludes that we rank last among peer cities when railways are considered.

Millennials and seniors are identified as key populations that demand public transport in the Atlanta metro area:

• millenials are a growing percentage of the workforce and as a group, favor having multiple options for transport. Companies consider workforce availability when choosing work sites.

• seniors are often dependent on transit and Atlanta's senior population is on the rise. 

MARTA has proposed three expansion projects for high employment areas currently underserved by transport. By year 2040, these projects would allow access to transit to over half a million Atlanta Metro workers:

Clifton Corridor: 197,000 jobs
1-20 East: 190,000 jobs
GA 400: 203,000 jobs

SB313's failure to advance was a surprise, given strong endorsements:

ARC's Atlanta Region Plan Vision

• the AJC supported investment in transportation infrastructure and urged the legislature to invest in transit (MARTA in particular). 

• the Atlanta Regional Commission's just-released long-range blueprint for success (with year 2040 as the target) also highlighted the importance of MARTA expansion projects (see that plan here).

• In an op ed, Emory University also chimed in to unlock the gridlock.

Light rail would be a boon to our community. MARTA representatives attended our community meeting last February 15 and that report is available here. 

MARTA / Clifton Corridor presentation to the Medlock neighborhood

MARTA representatives attended the MANA community meeting on February 15, 2016  to discuss the proposed Clifton Corridor expansion that would bring light rail connectivity to our area.  The Clifton Corridor encompasses some of the largest employers in the area: Emory University, Emory Hospital, the Centers for Disease Control, Children’s Healthcare, and Veteran’s Administration Hospital. The overall plan attempts to address current congestion while projecting for the area's needs as far as yr 2040. The Clifton Corridor rail would connect Lindberg and Avondale stations, with multiple in-between stops.

In contrast to heavy rail (like MARTA trains that are powered by ground-level electrified third rail), light rail would be powered by overhead lines. Typically, light rail travels less quickly than heavy rail but offers stops that are more closely spaced. Compared to buses, light rail travels faster (due to right of way) and has higher capacity.

Public meetings and discussions have been ongoing for years (see our Clifton Corridor posts and MARTA's Clifton Corridor page) and through public input meetings, MARTA  is coming closer to defining the locally preferred alternative (LPA) plan.

Current LPA (click to enlarge)

The presentation below includes maps of alternatives being considered, with highlights for our Medlock neighborhood. All options include stops at Emory University / CDC, Suburban Plaza and DeKalb Medical. The current LPA includes Clairmont Rd. service to the VA Hospital. Other alternatives bypass Clairmont and provide service along North Decatur Rd. only, or along North Decatur Rd. and Haywood Drive.

The Haywood Drive option would potentially reduce Clifton Road traffic by 50%. North Decatur Road would have to be widened to allow for a dedicated lane.

MARTA has additional information on federal funding for these types of projects. In a best-case scenario (the proposed T-SPLOST garners support at the November election and additional federal funds for the project are secured), the project could be completed as early as 2025.

The last page of the presentation includes contact information, as MARTA continues to receive input about this plan.



These images provide some ideas of what light rail vehicles and stations may look like (images shared by MARTA).

MARTA Seeks Input from Businesses On Clifton Corridor

For other news on the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative, see http://www.itsmarta.com/Clifton-Corr.aspx

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT:	Alisa T. Jackson
Oct. 13, 2015		404.804.1717

MARTA Seeking Input from Businesses On Clifton Corridor  

Starting this week, MARTA representatives will go door-to-door visiting businesses along the Clifton Corridor to provide updates about one of the region’s most congested areas and one of the largest job centers in the metro area. Upon completion, the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative will provide a direct transit link between the Lindbergh Center Station in the City of Atlanta and the Avondale Station in DeKalb County. MARTA’s expansion into the corridor would serve such major job centers as Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Date	*Location	Time
Tuesday, Oct. 13	Cheshire Bridge Road/ N. Decatur Road/Clairmont Road	9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14	Scott Boulevard/Church Street & DeKalb Industrial Way	9 a.m.-6 p.m
Thursday, Oct. 15	Zonolite/Emory Point/DeKalb Industrial	9 a.m.-6 p.m
Monday, Oct. 19	DeKalb Industrial Way/N. Decatur Road	9 a.m.-6 p.m

*Businesses along these thoroughfares will be visited.

Throughout the planning process, MARTA’s Clifton Corridor Planning Team will continue to inform and educate various corridor stakeholders by hosting or participating in public forums and community events.

For information on the project and schedule of activities, visit www.itsmarta.com/Clifton-Corr.aspx.  Or, if you need more detail on a specific topic or to request the MARTA Clifton Corridor information tent at your next community event, please contact MARTA by email at Clifton@itsmarta.com.

Stay connected: Facebook Clifton-Corridor-Transit-Initiative or Twitter-@CliftonCorridor 

Clifton Corridor public meeting reminder via Emory

Image via Emory News Center

Two public meetings set for early December are among the next steps in a multi-year effort to bring light rail transit to the Clifton corridor, including stops convenient to the Emory campus, Emory University Hospital and the CDC. 

"This effort goes back 17 years, and this is the latest required step in what has been a protracted political and community process," says Betty Willis, senior associate vice president for government and community affairs at Emory. "This project is widely viewed as critically important to support this thriving employment center, and I have no doubt it will come to fruition once funding has been identified." Read the rest @ Emory Report.

Clifton Corridor light rail gets a second wind

h/t Anne

The failed T-SPLOST wounded it, but did not kill it: The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that MARTA, in conjunction with the Federal Transit Authority, will launch a study to explore the Clifton Corridor light rail project.

Per the statement in the Regulations.gov website, the study will review a no-build option (no light rail) and two light-rail scenarios:

"No-Build Alternative: The No-Build Alternative includes all transportation improvement projects within the Clifton Corridor project area that are programmed in the Atlanta Regional Commission's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) with the exception of the Clifton Corridor LRT project. The No-Build Alternative serves as a comparison baseline for the project build alternatives. 

Build Alternative 1: Build Alternative 1 is a new LRT line that was previously referred to as the LPA following the 2009 AA study and includes segments that are at-grade, tunnel, and on aerial structure. From Lindbergh MARTA station, the alignment for Build Alternative 1 would parallel the existing MARTA heavy rail transit (HRT) line to the CSX railroad corridor, then continues eastward adjacent to the CSX railroad right-of-way, then along Clifton Road, adjacent to and under the CSX railroad corridor and Clairmont Road. The alignment would then proceed along Scott Boulevard, North Decatur Road, DeKalb Industrial Way, and North Arcadia Avenue to Avondale MARTA station. 

Build Alternative 2: Build Alternative 2 is a new LRT line that includes at-grade and aerial segments only. From Lindbergh MARTA station, the alignment would parallel the existing MARTA HRT line to the CSX railroad corridor, then continues adjacent to the CSX railroad right-of-way and then along Clifton Road, N. Decatur Road, DeKalb Industrial Way, and North Arcadia Avenue and finally on to Avondale MARTA station."

Public commentary will be welcomed at two sessions, each to take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as follows:

Thursday, December 4, 2014 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church located at 1438 Sheridan Rd. NE., Atlanta, GA 30324.  

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at the Emory University Student Activity and Academic Center (SAAC), Room 316, located at 1946 Starvine Way, Decatur, GA 30033.

We have kept an eye on this project, as a potential Suburban Plaza stop could bring light rail service closer to Medlock Park. To see our previous reports on the Clifton Corridor with an emphasis to the light rail option, click here.

POTENTIAL Suburban Plaza Station CONCEPT by MARTA (as proposed in 2012)

As illustrated in this MARTA document with visualizations for the potential Clifton Corridor light rail (pdf, circa 2012), the proposed Suburban Plaza station could deliver folks right to the steps of the gym and coffee shop that are included in the current redevelopment plan for Suburban Plaza (see below).

ACTUAL year 2014 plan for Suburban Plaza redevelopment (corner of North Decatur Road and Church Street corner) showing LA Fitness and the future Starbucks ("Shop J").

MARTA / Clifton Corridor: a dream chugs along

After the T-SPLOST was defeated, it seems that even staunch fans of the North Decatur/Clifton Roads light rail plan collectively sighed and despaired. But MARTA and the Clifton Corridor folks continue to work at it, and post updates at http://www.itsmarta.com/Clifton-Corr.aspx.

In particular, check out their Spring/Summer 2013 Environmental Review Newsletter. It includes tantalizing images such as these... but go to the source for details.

via MARTA/Clifton Corridor's Spring/Summer 2013 Environmental Review Newsletter

via MARTA/Clifton Corridor's Spring/Summer 2013 Environmental Review Newsletter

Sierra Club says no to T-SPLOST

Not green enough? Sierra Club wants more emphasis on mass transit.
Image source: GA Sierra Club website.

In a press release today, the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club urges a "no" vote on the July 31 T-SPLOST. Sierra Club argues that, as proposed, the budget is "business as usual" in its emphasis on roads at the expense of support for MARTA, pedestrians and cyclists.

Even the transit expansion projects that Sierra Club supports in concept, including the Northwest corridor, are vaguely defined and underfunded. Other transit projects, like the continuation of GRTA bus service, reward the state for not coming to the table to continue commuter bus service, instead electing to rely on the region step in and assume responsibility. 

Other supporters of the regional T-SPLOST argue it will be make-or-break for MARTA, but passage would not address MARTA’s most pressing need, which is to raise service up from the skeletal current levels. Because the legislature didn’t suspend or remove the 50/50 split this year, further deterioration of MARTA service remains a real and unacceptable possibility. The current suspension expires just after regional T-SPLOST revenue would flow, so the supplemental capital funding would have limited impact on MARTA’s operational budget. . . . Read the full press release @ Sierra Club.  

See other posts on this topic on this website.

Emory sponsors Q&A on T-SPLOST [Apr 25]

Emory University will sponsor a Q&A on the upcoming T-SPLOST vote scheduled for next July.

As noted elsewhere, light rail is proposed for the Clifton Corridor; both Emory and MANA are within this corridor. 

Wednesday, July 25

6:30-8pm

Glenn Memorial Church [directions/parking info]

1600 Clifton Rd.

Click image to enlarge.

Additional press on MARTA expansion plans

Rather than passively waiting for the T-SPLOST vote next July, MARTA board members have chosen proactive optimism:

The board green-lighted a plan to seek $1.6 billion in federal funds to build the Clifton Corridor light rail from the Lindbergh Center station in north Atlanta to the Avondale station east of Decatur and also create an all-day express bus service from south DeKalb to job centers in the metro area. 

In a surprise move, the board also approved seeking federal money for a heavy-rail extension from the Indian Creek station to the Mall at Stonecrest, a move largely seen as an attempt to mollify angry south DeKalb residents. Those residents and their politicians have threatened to try to derail the regional transportation sales tax referendum because its project list doesn't include rail for them. continue reading @ AJC

The Atlanta Business Chronicle also reports on the Board's decision, adding that although T-SPLOST penny tax is only a "downpayment" on this massive project, voter support improves the odds of receiving federal funds in the future.

The penny tax would raise $6.14 billion over 10 years for highway and transit projects of regional significance, including $700 million for the Clifton Corridor rail line and $225 million for transit improvements along the I-20 corridor. . .

The Clifton Corridor light-rail line would extend 8.8 miles from MARTA’s Lindbergh Center station to the Avondale station. Part of the proposed alignment would run in the median of Clifton Road near Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The I-20 project would connect MARTA’s Indian Creek station with the Mall at Stonecrest via heavy rail. Bus rapid transit service, a step up from regular buses, would operate between downtown Atlanta and a new MARTA station on Wesley Chapel Road. continue reading @ Atlanta Business Chronicle

MARTA releases concepts of Clifton Corridor plan

See http://www.itsmarta.com/clifton-corr-maps.aspx for concepts of how light rail might connect Lindbergh station to Avondale station.

In particular, see Section 8: Scott Boulevard to Church Street, which shows a subterranean rail station at Suburban Plaza.

Here is a  close-up of a possible Suburban Plaza layout (note this is zooming in on the North Decatur Rd / Church St. corner).

A bird's eye view of the whole Clifton Corridor plan is available here.

The AJC again reported on this topic yesterday and offers a great summary; here's a taste but go read the whole thing:

...MARTA officials stress this is only a plan to run light rail from the Lindbergh Center station south east to the Avondale rail station. It still has years of environmental and engineering studies -- and possible cost changes -- before construction could start, if funding is located. 

Second, the project would get a $700 million jump-start if voters approve the regional one-percent sales tax for transportation on July 31, which would fund the first phase of the line, from the Lindbergh station to the job center around Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in DeKalb County. That is how much is earmarked for Clifton Corridor light rail -- and it will give the agency more clout to seek federal grants.

No sales tax passage means MARTA would have to come up with hundreds of millions of dollars to be competitive for federal grants. The Federal Transit Administration often requires the local transit authority to pay 50 percent of the larger rail projects, according to the grants listed on the FTA website. 

Depending on your point of view, the project promises to be a boon to the corridor or a boondoggle. . . .  continue reading @ AJC

Clifton Corridor / MARTA documents

MARTA has updated its Clifton Corridor website with lots of fun documents and maps. The Existing and Future Trends Report is particularly chock-full of information about what is and what could be.

Note that MANA falls within the "Clifton Corridor" as show in this screen capture from the above report:

Clifton Corridor boundary (dashed black line) per the Alternatives Analysis report