TN: CARTA seeks input on proposed Brainerd Road express service, Lee Highway corridor

CARTA is offering the chance to win bus passes, Incline Railway tickets and free parking in return for feedback on a proposed express service and ideas for the Lee Highway corridor.

The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority is considering an express service from downtown Chattanooga to Eastgate and Hamilton Place.

CARTA will hold a public workshop from 5-7 p.m. June 24 at the Brainerd Recreation Center, 1010 North Moore Road.

"This is a city building project," an emailed statement attributed to CARTA CEO Charles Frazier said. "We are looking at how safer streets, better infrastructure and reliable transportation can support both the people who live here today and the growth Chattanooga will experience tomorrow."

To help members of the public get to the workshop, especially regular CARTA customers who rely on the public transit system, a free shuttle will run a loop between the Brainerd Road and North Moore Road intersection and the Brainerd Recreation Center from 4-8 p.m. the night of the public workshop.

That same day, all bus rides on Route 4 — which runs from downtown Chattanooga to Eastgate and Hamilton Place — will be free from 3-9 p.m. between Brainerd Road and Lee Highway.

According to a CARTA press release announcing the town hall, the feedback will also help the transit authority pursue federal funding for improvements.

CARTA is evaluating the creation of an express service alongside but separate from the ongoing Route 4 bus route, according to the release. The express service would have faster travel and service times by skipping a majority of local stops on the route, which CARTA says could help working families access downtown employment, school and healthcare facilities with more ease.

However, other initiatives could be the focus of future projects from CARTA, depending on community input and the availability of state and federal grant funds. A list of potential improvements includes sidewalks and pedestrian crossings near bus stops, improved stops that serve as either mobility hubs with enhanced services or transit stations to change, along with better shelters and improved lighting at locations along the Brainerd/Lee Highway corridor.

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