The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Board of Directors has adopted an amended locally preferred alternative (LPA) for Rapid Southlake to include a direct connection to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia’s largest employer and the world’s busiest airport.
MARTA Rapid is the authority’s bus rapid transit system, the first in the region, and is characterized by high-capacity buses running in dedicated right-of-way, mixed traffic lanes on existing roads and rail-like stations that will feature off board fare payment, seating and digital signage. The approximately 15-mile Rapid Southlake route will connect to Southlake Mall, the Shops of Riverdale, Southern Regional Medical Center and Airport Station in Atlanta, Ga.
“We are thrilled by the progress of Rapid Southlake, a dynamic project that will provide generational impacts for those living, working or traveling in Clayton County,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood. “Additionally, we see this direct connection to the airport’s Domestic Terminal as an opportunity to provide improved access to thousands of airport-related jobs and strengthen the project’s federal funding competitiveness.”
With the adoption of this amended LPA, the project now advances to the 30 percent design phase and submission of updated environmental studies. MARTA will submit an application for Federal Transit Administration Capital Investments Grants Small Starts funding this summer.
