Saturday, April 7, 2012

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