Transit Expansion in Metro Atlanta - Mirrored in San Diego

Posted on: Apr 25, 2018

On the 2001 LINK trip to San Diego, participants learned about plans to deploy Bus Rapid Transit in areas where rail might be too expensive. San Diego leaders were in the early phases of creating BRT corridors along the I-15 Express Lanes (HOV lanes), and the South Bay area, connecting communities to the south with the Otay Mesa border crossing and to transit and employment hubs downtown and in the north part of the region.

On the 2018 LINK trip to the San Diego region, participants will see BRT in action. The I-15 and Mid City lines are active and include BRT infrastructure such as dedicated access ramps for highway access, and center-line stations where stations are located at grade between highway travel lanes.

The first phase of the South Bay BRT project will be operational in late 2018. Participants will see the completed infrastructure in Chula Vista, which includes dedicated lanes and stations. The South Bay project will connect the Otay Mesa border crossing to the rest of the region’s transit network.

The region’s light rail system already connects to the other main border crossing at San Ysidro, where it sees its highest ridership volume.

In metro Atlanta, Gwinnett County, Fulton County, and the City of Atlanta are looking to incorporate BRT into transit expansion plans.

The City of Atlanta received federal funding for the Summerhill BRT line in early 2018. This will connect neighborhoods around Turner Field with MARTA’s Arts Center Station in Midtown.
Gwinnett County is studying BRT as a high-capacity transit option as part of its Transit Development Plan, due to be completed later this year. Gwinnett DOT expects that the final recommendation will include a BRT line that would run in the Satellite Boulevard corridor on the north side of I-85 before eventually connecting to a multimodal hub on the county’s west side.
In January 2018, Fulton County mayors agreed on a plan to expand transit outside the city of Atlanta, where voters have already approved a transit expansion. Among other things, the plan includes several new bus rapid transit lines along Ga. 400 and South Fulton Parkway, as well as some arterial rapid transit routes.

The ATL – a Game Changer? You’ve also seen the latest headlines: The Georgia General Assembly passed legislation creating a regional transit governance and funding structure: The Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, or The ATL. If signed into law, the ATL will develop a regional transit plan for a 13-county area — Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale counties. It will Coordinate existing and future transit service in the 13-county region, including services currently provided by MARTA, Xpress, CobbLinc, Gwinnett County Transit and the Cherokee Area Transit Service.